New nutrition grading system launched in Abudhabi that must be placed on five food items by June 1

In an effort to address the concerning obesity trends among Abu Dhabi citizens, quality control and health officials have introduced a new nutrition grading system that must be applied to five food products by June 1. Products without Nutri-Mark, which rates the nutritional value of food items, will be removed off store shelves and the offending parties will be penalized. Items that are showing a higher grading than they should will also be affected by this.

According to Nutri-Mark, an item's nutritional content is rated from A to E, with A representing the healthiest. The new program's initial phase covers baked goods, oils, dairy products, and kid-friendly foods and drinks. Manufacturers and local representatives of the chosen products are required to do measurements supported by science in order to precisely grade their goods and create Nutri-Mark labels that can be applied to the front of the container. Inaccurate grading on a tested sample will also result in recall and a fine for the maker. The amount of penalty has not yet been determined.

It has been reported that 61% of Abu Dhabi's population is overweight, with 22% of those individuals being obese. Similarly, 37% of children are overweight, with 18% of those being obese.

Nutri-Mark emphasizes the variations in nutritional values among comparable items rather than classifying them as "good" or "bad." Several nations have successfully implemented a comparable ranking system.

The announcement of Nutri-Mark, a collaboration between ADQCC and ADPHC, was made during the Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition (ADIFE), which will be held in the capital from November 26 to 28. Following the initial phase, more food items will be added to the Nutri-Mark list.