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Quality control and health officials in Abu Dhabi have launched a new nutrition grading system that must be placed on five food items by June 1, in a move to combat alarming obesity rates among Abu Dhabi residents.
Products found on supermarket shelves without Nutri-Mark, which grades the nutritional content in a food item, will be withdrawn and concerned parties will be fined. This will also apply to items that are displaying a higher grading than it should.
Nutri-Mark grades the nutritious value of a certain item from A to E, with A being most healthy. The first phase of the new scheme applies to baked goods, oils, dairies, children’s food and beverages.
Manufacturers and local agents of the selected items must conduct scientifically-backed measurements to grade their products accurately and produce Nutri-Mark labels to place on the front packaging.
“Then, we will be conducting supermarket surveillance and taking samples of (Nutri-Mark labelled) products. After June 1, if we find on-shelf products without Nutri-Mark, they will be withdrawn and retailers will be fined,” said Abdulla Al Muaini, Executive Director of the Central Testing Lab at Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council (ADQCC).
Meanwhile, if a tested sample shows inaccurate grading, it will be recalled as well, and its manufacturer will be fined. The value of fines has not been decided yet.
One of the main concerns of manufacturers during initial Nutri-Mark briefings was the added cost in Abu Dhabi’s highly competitive market, nonetheless, all suppliers are expected to comply, Al Muaini said.
The new system aims to tackle obesity by providing consumers with clear and easy-to-understand information about nutritional values of products, said Dr Ahmed Al Khazraji, Acting Director-General of Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre.
The recorded rate of overweight residents in Abu Dhabi residents has reached 61 per cent, out of which 22 per cent are obese, while the rate of overweight children has reached 37 per cent, out of which 18 per cent are obese.
“Those are very concerning numbers that we need to act upon today because in the future the numbers could be even more terrifying - not just here but globally as well."
“And those are only the reported case, the actual numbers are probably higher,” he added.
Al Muaini highlighted that regular consumers may not always understand what the numbers at the back mean, and some may not even take the time to read the ingredients.
“A lack of understanding of the nutritional value of food products often leads to unhealthy food choices, becoming a significant driver of the rising obesity burden.”
Many people find it challenging to interpret complex ingredient lists and their health implications,” he explained.
“Our goal is to provide a system that everyone can understand so they can make informed choices about what goes inside their bodies,” he concluded.
Nutri-Mark does not label products as ‘good’ or ‘bad’; it highlights the differences in nutritional contents between similar products. A similar rating system has been followed successfully in several countries.
“We conducted a comprehensive study of all similar schemes present in the market, and we have decided to follow a similar approach to Nutri-Score – the five-colour nutrition label that started in France and was adapted across eight European countries."
While the one in Europe is voluntary, the system was customised to be mandatorily adopted in Abu Dhabi such that it meets UAE standards, he added. A future project will include re-formulation of food items to achieve better Nutri-Mark rankings.
“For example, if a company’s product has an E-grading, and we want them to improve to C or D, we will work with manufacturers to reformulate their products through our testing labs. Our goal is to improve the nutrition value of all products in the market so they can achieve better grades."
He spoke about a company that wanted to reduce the sugar content of a beverage, which was achieved by replacing sugar with apple juice. This enabled the item to achieve a better grade by reformulating the product. Another example, he said, is a soft drinks company in Singapore that gradually lowered the sugar levels of its product from 11 to 4.5 over the years.
Nutri-Mark is a joint effort between ADQCC and ADPHC that was announced during the Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition (ADIFE) taking place in the capital from November 26 to 28. More food items will be included under Nutri-Mark after the first phase.
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