Before you buy: What UAE food labels are really telling you

Dubai: A quick trip to the supermarket can mean making dozens of decisions about what to put in the shopping trolley. But while food packaging often highlights claims such as “natural,” “low-fat,” or “no added sugar,” experts say shoppers should look beyond the front of the pack.

Food labels in the UAE provide information on ingredients, calories, nutrients, and allergens. Yet for some consumers, the amount of information, small print, and technical terminology can make labels difficult to interpret.

The question is not simply whether the information is available, but whether it can be understood enough to influence a buying decision.

Melanie Dsouza, clinical dietician at Medcare Shaikh Saqr Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah, has noted that shoppers do not need to understand every figure printed on a packet. Instead, she has recommended focusing on a few key areas.

“Start with the serving size, then look at calories, sugar, saturated fat, salt, and fibre. These give you a useful starting point,” Dsouza told Gulf News.

The %NRV, or percentage of nutrient reference value, can provide an indication of how much of a nutrient a serving contains. Dsouza has bared that 15 to 20 percent NRV or higher per serving is considered high, while five percent or below is low.

“This makes it easy to spot high sodium or sugar, or low fibre, at a glance. It’s also worth checking the ingredient list, especially for packaged foods you buy regularly.”

Prachi Telang, dietician at Prime Medical Centre in Reef Mall, has highlighted that UAE food labels contain valuable information, but consumers need to know how to interpret it.

“Small print, too many technical terms, and inconsistent serving sizes” can make labels challenging to understand, particularly when shoppers are in a hurry, according to Telang.

She has urged shoppers to examine the complete nutritional information rather than relying on a single claim on the packaging. This has been particularly important in the UAE's multicultural community, where consumers have different languages and levels of health literacy.

"Further improvements should include clearer Arabic and English labelling, larger, easy-to-read print, consistent values per serving and per 100 grams, prominent information on sugar, salt, saturated fat and allergens, and public education through schools, healthcare facilities, and media," shared Telang.

For Olivia Yacoub, research and development chef at EatX, the UAE has a comprehensive food labelling system that gives consumers substantial information.

However, she has pointed to the way food is marketed as another factor shoppers need to consider.

“For example, highlighting that an olive oil is ‘cholesterol-free’ may sound like a health benefit to a consumer, even though cholesterol is naturally absent from plant-based oils,” explained Yacoub.

She has mentioned that it could create a “health halo” around the product without telling consumers much about its overall nutritional quality. This is where regulation and education need to work together.

Regulation can help ensure that health claims are meaningful and not misleading, while consumer education can help shoppers distinguish between a genuine nutritional benefit and a marketing message.

Efforts have always been present in the UAE to make nutritional information easier for consumers to access.

Last June, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, has launched the Nutri-Mark initiative.

The initiative has introduced a front-of-pack nutrition labelling system designed to help consumers make informed and healthier dietary choices. It enables consumers to access nutritional information by scanning a QR code on participating products available at participating retail outlets.

Meanwhile in Dubai, the municipality has rolled out initiatives aimed at supporting healthier lifestyles, including the “Eat Healthy, Live Healthy” programme.

One element of the programme has been the calorie declaration in food service businesses. Food establishments have been required to assess the calorie content of their dishes based on the quantity of ingredients and the serving size. The maximum allowable variance for declared calorie information is 20 percent.

"This is particularly important as to enable the consumers to understand, in the context of total daily diet, the significance of the provided calorie information," stated Dubai Municipality.

Food labelling in the Emirates has been backed by regulatory checks. Local municipalities oversee food safety requirements and ensure that products carry the required information, including correct labels and expiry dates.

They conduct random inspections across food stores and restaurants to check compliance, monitor the quality of food supplied, and ensure food is suitable for consumption.

These checks form another layer of protection, while the label itself gives consumers information they can use when making purchasing decisions.

Experts have underscored that food labels can empower consumers but only if the information is clear and easy to interpret.

For shoppers, the takeaway is to check the serving size, look at sugar, salt, saturated fat and fibre, read the ingredient list, and consider whether a prominent health claim is actually telling you something meaningful about the product.

Labels “should not require specialist knowledge.” Their purpose should be to help every consumer make a healthier and better-informed choice within seconds.