Sometimes it can be a challenge to eat healthily in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Look at the labels on food in supermarkets and it will quickly give you a headache.
Do we really need to know how much sodium and magnesium per 100g there is in our products? We’re not convinced and we’re busy doing multiplication in our heads.
Plus, just because a product is labelled fat free, gluten free, low sugar and all the rest, it can still be unhealthy if not eaten in moderation.
Thankfully a new simple system of labelling is launching to make it easier to make healthy decisions when buying food.
UAE Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, Ohoon Al Roumi announced that a new Nutrition Labeling Policy is launching in the UAE and will soon become mandatory for all food products.
With 68 percent of people in the UAE classed as overweight, 29 perecent having high blood pressure and 44 percent having high cholesterol, the new campaign hopes to improve general public health in the UAE.
So how does it work?
Food products will now have simple labels on the front that will clearly display the salt, fat and sugar content in the product.
Three colours will be used to display the levels, green for low, amber for medium and red for high.
Consumers will then be able to assess the nutritional content of their products at a glance without having to decipher labels.
The new system is currently voluntary but will become mandatory for all food products to display this information by January 2022.
We think it’s a great idea.
