The UAE has started phased limits on sodium, sugar and fat in selected packaged foods after a survey found 96.2% of people ages 18 to 69 exceeded recommended sodium intake.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced on Oct. 6, 2026, that implementation had begun. It published results from its 2024-2025 National Health and Nutrition Survey on Jan. 6, 2026. The survey also found above-recommended sugar intake among 27.3% of people in that age range and above-recommended fat intake among 56.1%; obesity was reported among 22.4% of adults.
Minister of Health and Prevention Ahmed Ali Al-Sayegh said the findings offered a “clear, evidence-based picture of population health trends.” He said they reinforced the value of prevention, early intervention and long-term planning.
Under the ministry’s resolution, the requirements cover selected packaged goods made in the UAE or brought in from abroad, as well as businesses that handle them, including operators in free zones. Bread, sweetened milk drinks and alternatives, sweetened or flavored yogurt and laban, and salty snacks are in the first product group. Processed cheese is in a second group.
For each 100 grams of leavened bread, the first-stage ceilings are 444 milligrams of sodium, six grams of total sugars and 8.4 grams of total fat. In the final phase, those caps become 370 milligrams, five grams and seven grams, respectively. Flatbread’s sodium limit drops from 384 to 320 milligrams per 100 grams; its total sugars and total fat caps follow the same schedule as leavened bread.
The total sugars cap for sweetened milk drinks and alternatives falls from 9.6 grams to eight grams per 100 grams. For sweetened or flavored yogurt and laban, it declines from 12 grams to 10 grams.
MoHAP says the policy is intended to improve the nutritional profile of selected foods and support balanced choices as part of efforts to reduce obesity and diseases associated with unhealthy diets. Possible penalties include warnings, fines from AED 5,000 to AED 500,000, closure for up to six months, or cancellation of a licence or approval.
The first product group has up to nine months from the resolution’s effective date to meet initial limits; the second group has up to two years and three months. Businesses can sell existing stock until it expires or one year after the resolution takes effect, whichever comes first. Final limits are due by Dec. 31, 2030.
