The UAE Cabinet has decided to adopt a new policy by which food items in the country will soon have colour-coded labels that determine their nutritional value.For the healthcare community, it’s a ‘great step’ towards nudging people into eating healthier.
A report, which appeared in Khaleej Times, said, once the new policy comes into effect, food products will be categorised in three colours – red, yellow and green – to clearly distinguish their nutritional content.
According to the report in the newspaper, Dana Al Shakaa, a clinical dietician at Ameri-can Hospital Dubai, said: “It’s a great step towards building healthy eating habits and raising a healthier generation. It will create a better understanding of the nutritional value of foods and guide people towards making better choices for their families and themselves.”
Experts do advise checking nutritional labels thoroughly, especially for people who have to maintain a particular diet because of a medical condition or as part of a weight loss programme. Colour-coding will then make it easier for consumers to identify which products would be best for their health.
Ruba El Hourani, senior and head dietitian at RAK Hospital, said: “This will also give residents an opportunity to start learning about all micro and macro nutrients – eventually leading to an improvement in the quality and quantity of the food that they consume.” In general, nutrition facts on labels tell a consumer a number
of things: serving size or por-tion, number of servings in the package, calories per serving, and the amount of various nutrients contained in the product.
There will be information on energy in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal), as well as measurements of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates including sugars, added sugars and salt.
Using colour codes in these labels, one will be able to see at a glance whether a product is high (red), medium (yellow or low (green) in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugars, and how much energy it provides.
Michelle Buari, deputy direc-tor for nutrition and lifestyle management at Zulekha Hos-pital Sharjah, said: “Nutrition labels help individuals make informed choices about the calories, sugar and fat content of the food they purchase. With the new policy, residents will have the ability to easily make comparisons among the same food items, thus enabling them to make healthy food decisions.”