UAE Imposes New Limits on Sodium, Sugar, and Fats in Packaged Foods

The UAE is rolling out new regulations aimed at gradually reducing sodium, total sugars, and fats in selected packaged food products available in supermarkets, Gulf News reported. The standards apply to both locally manufactured and imported items, including bread, sweetened milk drinks, flavoured yoghurt and laban, salty snacks, and processed cheese.

Health experts noted that the policy's primary value lies in its population-wide approach, targeting the composition of the food supply rather than leaving the responsibility entirely to individual consumers. Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, consultant in internal medicine at Prime Hospital, described the move as an important preventive public-health initiative against conditions including high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Zaqout emphasised that regulatory limits must be accompanied by changes in individual eating behaviours and portion sizes, advising consumers to shift from ultra-processed goods toward whole grains, pulses, lean proteins, vegetables, and water. He also pointed out that families and school cafeterias play critical roles in shaping children's dietary environments.

Ruba El Hourani, head of the preventive health and nutrition department at RAK Hospital, stated that incremental sodium and sugar reductions have proved effective in other markets without undermining consumer acceptance. She encouraged shoppers to compare nutrition labels and substitute processed items with minimally processed alternatives.

Gurvinder Jit Singh, a healthcare entrepreneur, remarked that the standards offer an opportunity to make preventive health a routine reality, adding that long-term results require joint engagement among manufacturers, schools, families, and healthcare providers.