UAE’s new nutrition strategy and rules: All you need to know

UAE’s new nutrition strategy and rules: All you need to know

Dubai: The new nutritional strategy introduced by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has decided to set deadlines for virtually eliminating trans fats and reducing salt and sugar in food products, among other plans to achieve ambitious health goals for residents. The operational plan of the UAE’s National Nutrition Strategy for 2022-2030 - announced last week - aims to cut high rates of cardiovascular diseases and obesity among adults and malnutrition among children. Improving breastfeeding rates, and reducing prevalence of stunting and wasting among kids below five are also covered under the strategy. The plan aims to strictly control advertisements of unhealthy foods targeting children and unify the nutrition guidelines in school canteens across the country. Senior officials from various government entities who held a panel discussion provided details of the action plan for the newly launched strategy. The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) presented statistics of prevalence of overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases that still threaten to undermine the health gains realised throughout recent decades. The figures shared by the ministry show that health and wellbeing of children continue to be undermined by malnutrition in different forms. Nouf Khamis Al Ali, director of Health Promotion Department