Healthy nutritional guidelines for all schools in Dubai

Foods that are not permitted include, high caloric value foods, food with artificial flavors and food that have poor nutritional value.

Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA, stressed the importance of this guideline which consists of the best practices for school nutrition. “The aim of this guideline is to raise the nutritional standards across all schools in Dubai to meet the highest specifications and to promote healthy nutritive practices in school in accordance with international recommendations.”

Al Jassmi explained that this guideline aims to promote and develop healthy eating habits among school children and raise the capability of every student so that he or she can make the right decision and choose healthy foods rather than foods laden with trans fat and sugar. “This is not going to be easy but it is imperative to inculcate these habits at a young age to ensure our youth are healthy and active. Schools are an environment where children spend many hours in the day and therefore it is crucial to promote and support their knowledge with regards to healthy nutrition in schools.”

She added that the guideline will direct the concerned authorities in school to provide children with a variety of healthy foods and drinks that are high in nutritional value.

The guidelines will be implemented in all public and private schools in the Emirate of Dubai from the start of the new academic year in September.

Dr. Ali Al Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Safety Department within the Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA highlighted that the guideline is the result of cooperation between the DHA and Dubai Municipality and is based on international evidence as well as experience and expertise of the DHA and Dubai Municipality in this field.

He said, “The guideline has been formulated after the DHA Public Health and Safety Department conducted a comprehensive school canteen field survey in 2010, across 216 schools in the Emirate of Dubai. The aim of the survey was to access the current scenario and improve school nutrition keeping in mind international standards.

“The guideline includes regulations for both food safety and nutritional requirements that must be followed by all schools in the Emirate of Dubai. The guideline will educate schools on the basics of healthy nutrition and will explain the concept of the food pyramid, calorie requirements for every age group. Moreover, the guideline emphasizes on incorporating healthy meals keeping in mind good carbohydrates and the food pyramid colour grading system. The guideline also provides schools with examples of healthy meals which include a variety of food types so that the children get adequate nutrition from all healthy food sources.”

Dr Ali Al Marzooqi highlighted that the guideline has specific quantities of calorie intake recommended for specific age groups across kindergarten, elementary, intermediate and secondary levels.

Dr. Fathia Hatim Al Mazmi, Head of Health Promotion Section, Public Health and Safety Department within the Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA said, “Every school in the Emirate of Dubai will have to form a nutrition committee and students, parents, teachers and school administration will all have to be part of the committee and play an active role in promoting healthy eating practices.”

She also highlighted that the guideline includes various examples of healthy and wholesome meals which the school canteens can refer to.

Khalid Sharif, Director of Food Control Department at the Dubai Municipality said that the regulatory requirements for the safe handling of school nutrition are divided into two sections. The first category is those schools which do not prepare the food in their canteens but source it from external food supplying companies. For this category, all regulations relating to the distribution and sale of food which is not prepared in the location where the food is sold is applicable. This includes a number of specific requirements which need to be followed including procuring food from a list of food suppliers approved by Dubai Municipality.

“The other category is canteens that prepare food in the school premises and for this there is a specific set of requirements which need to be followed. Canteens which prepare and provide food to students have to adhere to requirements that include following specifications in terms of the kitchen’s design and catering in accordance with Dubai municipality food handling safety guidelines.”

Khalid added, “The control mechanisms for school canteens will include periodic inspections. The aim of these inspections, which will be conducted by health inspectors, is to improve the performance of schools in terms of nutritional guidelines and ensure that they implement all the requisite food safety standards. The Dubai Municipality will also conduct training for school nutritional supervisors so that they can take appropriate preventative measures in case of occurrence of food poisoning among children.”

In terms of the types of food, schools will also be informed about the permitted and banned foods in accordance to the guideline. Dr Al Mazmi said, “We have identified the food that should be permitted and those which should be banned, however this will not affect the diversification of food items that are served at school canteens.

“Foods that are not permitted include, high caloric value foods, food with artificial flavors and food that have poor nutritional value”

Dr Wafaa Ayesh, Director of Clinical Nutrition Department at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said that the guideline focuses on the type of food supplied to schools, requirements to be followed by food vendors and suppliers as well as guidelines in terms of age-wise calorie intake and food options including healthy breakfast menus.

Dr. Al Mazmi added the guideline takes into consideration specific nutritional requirements for diabetic students, students with food allergies, celiac disease etc. “Schools and school canteen administration will have to provide special meals for these categories and meet their requirements to the maximum extinct possible, so that all students will enjoy healthy foods during school hours.