UAE sets caps on levels of sodium, sugar, fats in selected food items, violators face up to Dhs500,000 fine

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has started implementing the resolution that sets caps on the levels of target ingredients in selected food products in the UAE.

The measure aims to protect public health and reduce obesity rates and other noncommunicable diseases linked to unhealthy food.

The resolution sets a national framework to gradually reduce all types of sodium, processed sugar, and fat in a range of food products in the UAE, to improve their nutritional value and further support balanced food choices for community members, through clearly defined phases that extend until the end of 2030.

The resolution applies to packaged foods, whether locally manufactured or imported, that fall within its categories, and to food establishments operating in the UAE handling these products, including free zones companies.

Handling covers all stages of the food chain: production, manufacturing, preparation, processing, packaging, transport, import, storage, distribution, serving, display and sale. The decision does not apply to food products manufactured or imported for direct export or onward export outside the UAE, unless they are traded inside the country.

The resolution sets two phases for compliance with the maximum limits for the named ingredients per every 100 grammes of the named product. The first group includes leavened bread, which in the first phase, must not exceed 444 milligrammes of sodium, 6 grammes of total sugars and 8.4 grammes of total fat, reaching 370 milligrammes of sodium, 5 grammes of total sugars and 7 grammes of total fat in the final phase.

For flat bread, the resolution sets the cap in 384 milligrammes of sodium, 6 grammes of total sugars and 8.4 grammes of total fat in the first phase, reaching 320 milligrammes of sodium, 5 grammes of total sugars and 7 grammes of total fat in the final phase.

The resolution also sets the cap for total sugars for sweetened milk drinks, including milk alternatives, at 9.6 grammes in the first phase and 8 grammes in the final phase. For sweetened or flavored yogurt or laban, it sets the limit at 12 grammes in the first phase and 10 grams in the final phase.

The limits for highly salty snacks reduce sodium in salted crackers from 696 milligrammes in the first phase to 580 milligrams in the final phase. In salted nuts and seeds the reduction is from 336 to 280 milligrammes, in pretzels from 912 to 760 milligrammes, and in extruded snacks and chips made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables or grains from 564 to 470 milligrammes.

The second group of targeted food products covers processed cheese. The resolution sets the maximum sodium limit for spreadable cheese at 864 milligrammes in the first phase and 720 milligrammes in the final phase. For other types of processed cheese, the limit is 1,200 milligrammes in the first phase and 1,000 milligrammes in the final phase.

For the first group of products, the resolution requires food establishments to comply with the first-phase maximum limits within a period not exceeding nine months from the date it takes effect. They must then continue the gradual reduction to reach the final phase limits by 31st December 2030 at the latest.

Establishments handling second group products must reach the first phase limits within a period not exceeding two years and three months from the date the decision takes effect. They must then continue the gradual reduction and meet the final phase limits by 31st December 2030 at the latest.

The resolution allows stock of targeted food products that were manufactured or imported before it takes effect to remain on sale for no more than one year from the date the resolution takes effect, or until the products expire, whichever comes first. After that period, no product that does not conform to the applicable maximum limit may be traded.

The resolution also regulates exceptions to the first phase maximum limit. Where compliance would require an establishment to reduce the content of a target ingredient by more than 20 percent of its established content in the product, the establishment may apply to the Ministry of Health and Prevention for an exception within 30 days from the date the resolution takes effect.

This applies to products that were manufactured, imported or traded in the UAE before that date. The application must include the technical data, the registered nutrition label data and test results issued by an accredited laboratory, and the establishment must commit to reducing the named ingredient by at least 20 percent within the first phase period.

The exception does not exempt the establishment or the product from complying with the maximum limits, and it does not extend the compliance deadline beyond 31st December 2030.

The resolution requires food establishments to comply with the maximum limits of the controlled ingredients according to the specified phases and dates, and not to trade any targeted food product that does not conform to the applicable limits. Establishments must also provide the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the health authority or the relevant authority, with the data, information and documents needed to verify compliance.

Federal and local government health authorities and relevant authorities are responsible for applying the provisions of the decision and monitoring establishments' compliance, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention. They are also required to provide the Ministry with the data and information needed for implementation, in line with the legislation in force on personal data protection and the confidentiality of information.

The resolution imposes several administrative penalties where an establishment is found not to comply with the maximum limits for the target ingredients or to trade a product that does not conform to them. The penalties are imposed according to the seriousness of the violation, the circumstances in which it was committed and how often it recurs.

The penalties include a warning, an administrative fine of not less than Dhs5,000 and not more than Dhs500,000, and administrative closure of the violating establishment for a period not exceeding six months, renewable, or cancellation of its license or approval in coordination with the competent licensing authority.

The Cabinet, on the proposal of the Minister of Health and Prevention and after coordination with the relevant authorities, issues the list of administrative violations and penalties. The Minister of Health and Prevention, in coordination with the health authorities and relevant authorities, issues the decisions needed to implement the provisions of the resolution.

WAM