Abu Dhabi restaurant menus to feature labels identifying healthier dishes

A small logo beside a dish on a restaurant menu could help diners choose healthier options by clearly indicating nutritional quality.

Since October 1, the SEHHI food programme mark has appeared beside some dishes at hotel restaurants licensed by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, covering about 20 per cent of restaurants in the emirate.

The mark identifies individual dishes that meet SEHHI's nutritional criteria, rather than rating an entire menu.

Participating restaurants must offer at least one qualifying dish in each adult menu category, including starters, mains and appetisers. At least half of the dishes on children’s menus must also meet the criteria.

“You can order whatever you want, but now you will know what the healthier options are,” said Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji, executive director of Healthy Living at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, told The National.

Show caption: Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji, executive director of Healthy Living at…

The initiative is part of a wider effort led by Healthy Living – Abu Dhabi, a government-backed, whole-of-society movement seeking to make healthier choices easier through changes to everyday environments.

With 28 initiatives spanning government entities, the private sector and communities, the programme aims to improve access to healthier food, increase awareness and encourage more active lifestyles.

“The biggest challenge facing health systems around the world is non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They account for three quarters of deaths worldwide, and almost 50 per cent of people afflicted with NCDs die before the age of 70,” Dr AlKhazraji said.

Health outcomes, however, are shaped by far more than access to medical care.

“Health is also predominantly shaped outside the formal health sector. Out of the 23 modifiable drivers of health, 19 of them sit outside health care,” Dr AlKhazraji said.

In June, the UAE announced new limits on sugar, sodium and fat in some of the country’s most commonly consumed pre-packaged foods. The measures cover products including bread, flavoured milk, flavoured yoghurt, processed cheese and high-salt snacks.

The limits will be introduced gradually from June 2027 and phased in through 2030, aiming to create one of the world’s healthiest pre-packaged food and beverage environments.

Show caption: The mark identifies individual dishes that meet SEHHI’s nutr…

Making healthier choices easier

The role of the environment in shaping behaviour is also central to Healthy by Design, a joint white paper launched at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit last week.

Developed by the Behavioural Insights Team at Nesta, the UK’s Research and Innovation Foundation, the Behavioural Science Group within the UAE Government and Healthy Living, the paper examines how behavioural science can reshape food and physical activity environments.

It sets out practical proposals for making healthier choices easier in daily life, many of which are already being implemented through Healthy Living and its partners.

“Information is very important for awareness, but it is rarely sufficient to change behaviour. Awareness does not close the gap between intention and action,” said Rasha Attar, director of the BSG at the Office of Development Affairs.

Food provides a clear example of how this approach can work. Reformulating commonly consumed products can improve their nutritional value without requiring consumers to change their purchasing habits. At the same time, clearer labelling and changes to retail environments can help people identify and choose healthier options.

Ms Attar said her team had conducted research and real-world experiments to help guide the design and implementation of healthy living initiatives.

“When suppliers reformulate the foods people eat most often, even small improvements can have a significant impact at the national level – and we know this from other countries,” she said.

Show caption: Shoppers at Lulu Hypermarket. Nicole Hill / The National

Other initiatives are focused on changing the supermarket environment.

Nutri-Mark, a front-of-pack labelling system developed by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, grades the nutritional quality of pre-packaged food and drink products within the same category, helping consumers compare products more easily.

Research by the BSG found that the labels improved consumers’ understanding of nutritional information by 30 per cent. The Abu Dhabi Registration Authority recently introduced a responsible supermarket layouts initiative, which will take effect on January 1, 2027.

It addresses how product placement influences purchasing decisions by ensuring that foods and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) are no longer displayed in the most prominent, high-traffic areas of supermarkets and their online platforms across the emirate.

Together, the initiatives concentrate on different stages of the consumer journey: improving the nutritional quality of products, making information easier to understand and reducing the prominence of less healthy options.

Building movement into everyday life

Healthy by Design also applies the same principles to physical activity, building on existing initiatives.

Its recommendations include incorporating more movement into the school day and developing connected, shaded walking routes to make physical activity a more practical part of everyday life.

The aim is to move away from treating exercise as an additional activity people must find time for and towards creating environments where movement becomes a natural part of daily routines.

“We are looking at systemic changes – how to change the environment,” Ms Attar said. “These are longer-term projects, but they are designed to be sustainable and scalable. We hope to see lasting impact.”