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The Ministry of Health and Prevention has started enforcing a resolution that sets maximum permitted levels of sodium, total sugars and fats in a range of packaged food products sold in the UAE, according to a Gulf News report published Tuesday under the headline “How the UAE is changing the recipe for better health”. The rules cover both locally manufactured and imported items and extend across the full food supply chain from production and processing to importation, distribution and sale. Manufacturers and businesses have been given staged deadlines to comply, with targets tightening progressively through phases that run until the end of 2030. The ministry stated that the measure aims to improve the nutritional profile of common foods and help lower rates of obesity together with associated noncommunicable diseases.
Specific limits vary by product category and will become more stringent over time, the Gulf News article detailed. For leavened bread, the initial ceiling stands at 444 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams, 6 grams of total sugars and 8.4 grams of total fat, before falling to 370 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of sugars and 7 grams of fat in the final phase. Sweetened or flavoured yoghurt and laban face a cap of 10 grams of total sugars per 100 grams at the end of the transition, while chips and similar snacks see their sodium limit decline from 564 milligrams to 470 milligrams per 100 grams. The changes mean many familiar products will require recipe reformulation to meet the new thresholds.
A National Health and Nutrition Survey released by the Ministry of Health and Prevention earlier in 2026 found that 22.4 per cent of adults in the UAE are living with obesity while 96.2 per cent exceed recommended sodium intake and 27.3 per cent surpass recommended sugar consumption. The same survey, conducted with endorsement from the World Health Organization, reported that 59.1 per cent of adults do not meet sufficient physical activity levels and that 25.9 per cent have high blood pressure. These figures underscore the scale of diet-related health challenges the new food rules seek to tackle on a population-wide basis rather than through individual choice alone.
Health experts cited in the Gulf News coverage stressed that regulatory reform of the food supply forms only one element of improved public health outcomes. Ruba El Hourani, head of the preventive health and nutrition department at RAK Hospital, advised consumers to begin with simple substitutions such as choosing unsalted nuts and seeds over salted versions and flavouring meals with herbs, spices, lemon, garlic or vinegar instead of salt. For reducing sugar intake she recommended replacing soft drinks with water, sparkling water or unsweetened herbal teas and opting for plain yoghurt with fresh fruit rather than sweetened varieties. Such steps can complement the impact of the revised product formulations as they reach supermarket shelves.
The initiative aligns with other UAE efforts to promote healthier eating, including the Nutri-Mark front-of-pack labelling system launched in Abu Dhabi that grades packaged foods from A to E based on nutritional quality, a separate Gulf News report on healthy living programmes noted. That labelling scheme, developed by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and the Department of Health, helps shoppers identify better options at the point of purchase. Officials have indicated the combined effect of labelling, reformulation targets and public awareness should support broader prevention strategies across the federation.
Implementation of the resolution applies uniformly to free-zone companies as well as mainland operators, the ministry announcement confirmed. Food businesses must adjust recipes and reformulate products to remain compliant while maintaining safety and sensory qualities that consumers expect. The phased approach provides time for industry adaptation while steadily shifting the default nutritional composition of staple items toward healthier profiles.
