UAE sets up to Dh500,000 fine for food exceeding salt, sugar limits

The UAE has started implementing a resolution that caps sodium, sugar and fat in selected packaged foods, with food businesses given phased deadlines to comply through 2030, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said on Tuesday.

The ministry said the measure aims to protect public health and reduce obesity and other noncommunicable diseases linked to unhealthy food. It sets a national framework to gradually cut sodium, processed sugar and fat to improve the nutritional value of everyday products.

Who and what is covered

The resolution applies to packaged foods, whether made locally or imported, and to food establishments handling them, including companies in free zones. The rules cover every stage of the food chain, from production, processing and packaging to import, storage, distribution, serving, display and sale.

Products made or imported solely for export are excluded unless they are traded within the UAE.

Limits for bread

The limits are being introduced in two phases, with maximum levels measured per 100 grams of product.

For leavened bread, the first phase caps sodium at 444mg, total sugars at 6g and total fat at 8.4g. These fall to 370mg, 5g and 7g in the final phase.

For flat bread, the sodium limit drops from 384mg to 320mg, total sugars from 6g to 5g and total fat from 8.4g to 7g.

Sugar limits for milk drinks, flavoured yogurt or laban

Sweetened milk drinks, including milk alternatives, will be capped at 9.6g of total sugars in the first phase and 8g in the final phase.

Sweetened or flavoured yogurt and laban will be limited to 12g in the first phase and 10g in the final phase.

Sodium limits for salty snacks

Salted crackers must fall from 696mg of sodium to 580mg. Salted nuts and seeds move from 336mg to 280mg, and pretzels from 912mg to 760mg. Extruded snacks and chips made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables or grains drop from 564mg to 470mg.

Processed cheese

Processed cheese falls into a second group of products. Spreadable cheese is limited to 864mg of sodium in the first phase and 720mg in the final phase. Other processed cheese is capped at 1,200mg, falling to 1,000mg.

Deadlines run to 2030

For the first group of products, which includes bread, establishments must meet first-phase limits within nine months of the resolution taking effect. For processed cheese, the second group, they have up to two years and three months. Both groups must reach the final limits by December 31, 2030 at the latest.

Stock manufactured or imported before the resolution takes effect can stay on sale for up to one year or until its expiry date, whichever comes first. After that, products that do not meet the applicable limits cannot be traded.

Exceptions for some products

Establishments may apply for an exception to the first-phase limits if compliance would require cutting an ingredient by more than 20 per cent of its current level. The exception applies only to products that were already manufactured, imported or traded in the UAE before the resolution took effect.

Applications must be submitted within 30 days of the resolution taking effect, with technical data, registered nutrition label information and test results from an accredited laboratory. Applicants must also commit to reducing the ingredient by at least 20 per cent within the first phase.

An exception does not exempt a product from the limits or extend the December 31, 2030 deadline.

Monitoring and penalties

Federal and local health authorities will monitor compliance in coordination with the ministry, and establishments must provide the data and documents needed to verify it.

Violations can result in a warning, a fine of between Dh5,000 and up to Dh500,000, closure of the establishment for up to six months (renewable), or cancellation of its licence or approval. Penalties will depend on the seriousness of the violation, the circumstances and whether it is repeated.

The Cabinet will issue the list of administrative violations and penalties on the proposal of the Minister of Health and Prevention.