A policy being developed by Dubai will soon make it compulsory for restaurants to write the calorie content alongside the prices on the foods listed in their menu.
As the UAE struggles to fight the battle of the bulge with a prevalence of 37% of obese adults considered among the highest in the world, policymakers and health officials attended a dialogue organised by The Economist to discuss the Global Crisis of Obesity on Wednesday.
A senior official from Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dr Manal Taryam said that obesity was no longer a personal issue. “There should be a strategy and it should be handled by the government. It should be a holistic approach that involves many entities,” said Dr Manal who is the Chief Executive Officer, Public Healthcare Services.
“We are working on developing a policy whereby majority of the restaurants will be required to write the calorie count along with the listed price. This will empower people to make a choice,” she said.
Dr Ramadan AlBlooshi, CEO at the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), who experienced health issues due to obesity, said that a Law of Public Health had been proposed. “Though it is too early to talk about this and there are many stakeholders involved, we would like to encourage companies to participate in initiatives and make it easier for their employees to maintain their health,” he said.
He suggested tips such as offering healthy foods in canteens as well as giving incentives and rewards to employees to lose weight.
He also said that among others law being looked into were those that push for a stricter control on food advertising on social media without a licence.
Sugar taxes would also be discussed, he said.
A pilot project started in two schools in Dubai has already shown results. “When we first started the project earlier this year, the rate of obesity among children was between 13.5 to 14% which is high,” said Dr Manal.
“But we engaged students and parents through counselling sessions while educators monitored them and within six months results showed that obesity rates fell by 3.5% in school A and by 4% in school B.”
The project’s success will now be expanded to a federal level and by next year, according to our strategy we will see a reduction in obesity among school children, she said, adding that labelling of food in school canteens was also an important aspect. “Smiley faced stickers were used to indicate healthy food in canteens and it worked,” she said.
The event was opened by a special address delivered by Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, titled “Towards a national culture of health and well-being: the importance of youth engagement.”

*Asma Ali Zain writes for Khaleej Times in Dubai