UAE carries out over 8,000 inspections across markets to protect consumers

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Economy and Tourism, in cooperation with local economic development departments, carried out 8,168 inspection campaigns across markets nationwide between February 28 and March 18, issuing 729 warnings and imposing 216 fines ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh200,000.

The inspections form part of ongoing national efforts to strengthen market oversight, ensure compliance with consumer protection policies, and provide a safe and fair shopping environment.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, said monitoring prices and ensuring the availability of goods remain a top priority, particularly under current conditions.

'Protect consumer rights'

“The ministry continues, in cooperation with relevant authorities, to protect consumer rights and combat practices that may lead to price manipulation,” he said, adding that regulatory policies are regularly reviewed to ensure markets respond effectively to changes.

Since the onset of the situation, the ministry has formed a national crisis and emergency team in collaboration with local authorities and held more than 36 meetings with major suppliers and importers to ensure sufficient supply of essential goods.

It also monitors daily stock updates from major retail outlets covering 50 key food items, tracking available consumption days to strengthen the country’s strategic reserves.

Between February 28 and 17 March 17, the ministry received 2,441 consumer complaints, including 1,994 related to food price increases, nine linked to the hotel sector, and 438 other complaints. All were addressed promptly, including field inspections focusing on commonly consumed items such as onions, tomatoes, potatoes and bananas.

Intensive awareness campaigns

Authorities also launched intensive awareness campaigns to reassure the public on product availability and price stability, while encouraging consumers to avoid panic buying and stockpiling. The campaigns promoted consumer rights and responsible consumption through social media channels.

The ministry said it follows a gradual escalation approach in enforcing penalties, considering the nature and recurrence of violations, while relying on specialised inspection teams and an electronic price monitoring system linked to around 627 major retail outlets, representing about 90 per cent of domestic trade in essential consumer goods.