UAE Rolls Out New Limits on Salt, Sugar and Fat

In the UAE, new restrictions have been put into place on salt, sugar and fat levels in the majority of food products on the market. These measures are led by the MoHAP, with the purpose of increasing the nutritional value of foods packaged for sale and towards meeting public health concerns surrounding the effects of unhealthy diets.

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Mandatory Reformulation Across Food Categories

Manufacturers and importers will be required to repackage and reformulate their products to comply with the new standards, if they do not meet them. These key categories include packaged beverages, snack and ready-to-eat foods such as bacon or sausages (which often are high in sodium, sugar and fat), bakery products, dairy products and processed meats.

Focus on Chronic Disease Prevention

The initiative is part of UAE preventive healthcare strategy, aiming to curb the risk factors in the food consumed by people which can lead to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes. The regulations aim to make commonly used food more nutritious, but don’t ask consumers to make wholesale changes in their food buying habits.

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What the New Rules Mean for Industry?

Food manufacturers, importers and distributors will need to modify some of their recipes, nutritional labels, and the way they process food along their supply chain to comply with the new requirements. With structured compliance periods, it is expected that businesses have time to reformulate products and manage current inventories, whereas the stricter standards might stimulate more innovation in healthier food production in the UAE.

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