Dubai Municipality asks food establishments to declare calorie content on menu

All Dubai food establishments will soon have to disclose a calorie content on their menus, the Dubai Municipality (DM) has announced. While nutritionists and restaurant owners have welcomed the move, some have expressed concerns over it affecting their business.
The measures taken by the DM are to ensure customers are aware of the nutritional values they are taking in whenever they eat at restaurants in the emirate. The DM will be the first local authority in the country to do so.
Dawoud Al Hajri, director-general of the DM, said: "The municipality's initiative is to oblige food establishments to be fully transparent in declaring calories on all foods, in order to give consumers the ability to choose food that suits their health status. It is an innovative programme, through which the municipality will encourage restaurants to provide healthy and tasty meals to consumers and help achieve the DM's vision of developing a happy and sustainable city."
He added that this initiative comes amid the increasing pace of life, where consumers resort to unhealthy food choices due to their availability and accessibility. 
"It is also due to the keenness of the municipality to encourage food establishments to provide balanced and healthy meals; enhance the health of the community; and contribute to protecting people against diseases caused by unhealthy meals," said Al Hajri.
A welcome move
Restaurant owners in Dubai have welcomed the move.
Sateesh Kumar, owner of Calicut Notebook, operates six branches of his restaurant across the UAE. And their menus have nearly 300 food items.
Kumar isn't worried about losing business to "healthier eateries" as he is confident that his chefs are preparing nutrition-rich meals.
"We're not calculating calories right now, but we prepare very fresh food. Our food is healthy," he said. "I think this move is good for businesses, since many restaurants already started doing this. It'll help the other businesses get on board as well. We will be working with nutritionists to make sure we show the calorie content on our menus."
Some others expressed concern over losing out on business. Mohammad Kutty, owner of Shama Al Madina - an Indian restaurant in Dubai - said his menu has nearly 300 food items.
"There is a price factor involved in this for restaurants, especially those who have many food items on their menu. We would have to work with our chefs and even hire a nutritionist to figure out the calorie content in our food," he said.
"We'll have to completely redesign our menus because there is also a space factor that goes into it. Overall, I think it's great news for customers because it will give them transparency, but for businesses, it will be complicated."
When asked if the transparency will turn away customers from his eatery, Kutty said: "Customers will be confused on what they'd want to do - not just in my restaurant but everywhere else, too, because they'd have the knowledge of what they're eating and they would have to decide if they want to continue eating it. 
"My restaurant offers healthy food, anyway. We make our food with very little oil and the grill section has no oil at all."
Nutritionists' take
Nutritionists, on the other hand, believe that many restaurants "will not prefer" showing calorie content on their menus, as it could discourage customers from eating there.
Dr Inas Gazar, a nutritionist in Dubai, said it's an "excellent idea" but restaurants may not follow the new rule thoroughly.
"It's definitely a good move for customers. It will help them get fit, but that depends on each individual. On cigarette packets, for example, it's clearly mentioned that they are harmful to health, but people still smoke. So, hopefully customers will choose to adopt a better lifestyle," she said.
"I also hope restaurants follow this rule and don't manipulate the calorie content."
A dietitian at Live'ly, Dr Yasmine Haddad, said residents need to ensure they are adopting "a mindful eating" lifestyle, instead of "obsessing with their calorie count".
"Smart businesses are already changing their strategies by offering different portion sizes and showing calorie contents, so this is a positive move. But residents shouldn't obsess over their calorie count because, sometimes, it can lead to negative health results. They need to practise mindful eating," she said.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com