Items prohibited in UAE schools: 9 foods banned

Schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi have emphasised nine categories of food items that students are not permitted to bring from home to school, as part of their commitment to safeguarding students’ health and promoting healthy lifestyles within the educational environment. The initiative aims to curb obesity and chronic diseases, while enhancing concentration and academic performance.

The prohibited list includes major categories of food, foremost of which are processed meats such as sausages, mortadella and luncheon meat, due to their high levels of saturated fat and sodium. Instant noodles are also banned because of their excessive salt content and industrial fats. The list further includes all types of sweets such as lollipops, sugary candies and manufactured confectionery, in addition to chocolate spreads that are high in sugar and fat.

Schools also prohibit chocolate bars containing nuts, peanuts and their derivatives to avoid allergy risks, as well as cream-filled cakes and doughnuts due to their high calorie content. Carbonated beverages, energy drinks and processed juices are also banned, along with fried potatoes, potato chips and corn puffs.

In contrast, school canteens in Abu Dhabi offer 85 healthy and varied food items tailored to students’ needs. These include baked goods such as cheese or thyme pastries priced between Dh2 and Dh4, as well as manakish or vegetable pastries starting from Dh3. Healthy sandwiches such as grilled chicken or cheese sandwiches are available at prices ranging from Dh4 to Dh7, depending on size and ingredients.

The fruit and vegetable section offers options such as apples and bananas, or cucumber and carrot sticks, priced between Dh2 and Dh3. Healthy choices also include low-fat dairy products such as milk and laban, in addition to 100 per cent natural juices with no added sugar, priced between Dh2 and Dh5. Snack items such as date maamoul and oat cookies are also available, ranging from Dh1 to Dh3. School administrations stressed that these options reflect their commitment to providing a supportive educational environment that promotes students’ health and proper growth.

Promoting healthy lifestyles

Public and private schools across the UAE have circulated to students and parents a list of nine food items that are not permitted to be brought to school, as part of efforts to promote healthy habits within the school environment and prevent the spread of foods high in fats, sugars and preservatives that may negatively affect students’ health, activity levels and academic achievement.

Administrations clarified that the list includes all forms of processed meats such as sausages, burgers and mortadella, as well as instant noodles due to their high saturated fat and preservative content, in addition to packaged chocolate bars that are often rich in sugars and nuts.

Banning energy drinks and allergy-triggering foods

The list also includes peanuts and peanut products to avoid allergy issues among some students, and sweets such as lollipops and flavoured popcorn that contain artificial colours and flavourings, as well as chocolate spreads that are high in fat and sugar.

Schools further stressed the prohibition of carbonated beverages and all types of energy drinks, in addition to cream-covered cakes and doughnuts, which are high in calories and low in nutritional value, as well as fried potatoes and ready-made potato chips that contain large quantities of oil and salt.

Call for parents’ cooperation

School administrations have called on parents to cooperate in ensuring the success of this health initiative by providing their children with healthy alternatives such as fruits, natural juices and home-prepared sandwiches, affirming that this step will help raise students’ levels of concentration in class and provide them with positive energy and a balanced lifestyle that supports both physical and mental development.

They also urged parents to ensure that their children bring healthy and balanced meals to school on a daily basis, noting that a complete school meal directly reflects on students’ health and activity, and enhances their ability to focus and achieve academically.

Administrations stressed that choosing balanced meals provides students with the necessary energy, strengthens their immunity and instils sound nutritional habits that will stay with them for life, adding that cooperation between family and school contributes to building a health-conscious generation that recognises the importance of proper nutrition in daily life.

They further confirmed that a healthy meal is not merely a means of easing hunger during the school day, but a fundamental element that supports a child’s healthy growth and positively affects behaviour and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Prohibited food items

1. Processed meats such as sausages, burgers and mortadella

2. Instant noodles

3. Packaged chocolate bars

4. Peanuts and peanut products

5. Sweets such as lollipops and flavoured popcorn

6. Chocolate spreads

7. Carbonated drinks and energy drinks

8. Cream-covered cakes and doughnuts

9. Fried potatoes and potato chips

Public and private schools ban coloured hoodies and jackets

Administrations of public and private schools applying the Ministry curriculum in Dubai have stressed the need for full compliance with the approved school uniform, noting that any violations will be subject to the Student Behaviour Policy without leniency.

In circulars issued to parents and students, schools highlighted the importance of wearing the official uniform according to the approved design for each educational stage, and prohibited the wearing of hoodies or coloured jackets within school premises.

According to the “Comprehensive School Uniform Guide for Public School Students” issued earlier by the Ministry of Education, students must adhere to the official uniform and maintain a neat and tidy appearance. The guide also stresses the wearing of flat, fully closed black shoes and white socks, and specifies that sports shoes are to be worn only with the physical education uniform during PE classes or extracurricular activities.

Official school attire

The instructions confirm the importance of male students wearing white garments under the Emirati kandura, with the agal being optional. As for Cycle Three female students, they must cover their heads with a shayla in black, white or navy, in full compliance with the approved uniform design.

All students are subject to periodic inspections to ensure full adherence to the regulations, as the school uniform carries important educational dimensions that reinforce values of discipline and commitment, strengthen students’ sense of responsibility and belonging, and help limit negative behaviours that may disrupt the educational process, thereby fostering an organised learning environment.

School administrations stressed that these measures aim to instil a culture of respect for laws and regulations within the school campus, affirming that cooperation between schools and parents is a key factor in providing a safe and organised educational environment that contributes to raising academic achievement.