- All restaurants in Dubai must show calorie content on dishes by January 2020
- Larger eating places, those with five or more branches, must meet the ruling by November this year
- Shocking stats show just how important making calorie counts public really is
- This is all part of a wider initiative to make Dubai residents healthier (and happier)
Eating out may have just got even more costly, not to your wallet but to your conscience as calorie content displays make its way to Dubai.
As a push to improve the health of Dubai, the Dubai Municipality has said it is bringing in new initiatives to encourage eateries and other restaurants to display calories on its meals, and to provide more healthy options over all.
Acting as a major part of the National Nutrition Agenda, it makes up part of a larger battle of trying to improve our eating habits and routines.
“Dubai Municipality’s initiative is to oblige food establishments to be fully transparent in declaring calories on all foods to give consumers the ability to choose food that suits their health status,” said Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality.
The numbers really don’t lie with this one, with a 2018 YouGov survey revealing 65 percent of people eat out at least once a week, as well as the fact that men are more likely to eat out than women. It was also estimated that 40 percent of our children are either overweight or even obese.
In November, any restaurant with more than five outlets must comply to the new ruling. And then all other restaurants must commit to making calorie counts public by January 2020.
It’s hard to say how much this will impact Dubai-residents health right now. Countries like the U.K. have been using calorie display laws for years, and the country still has shocking stats (such as the fact that on average the Brits consume more than 11 percent above saturated fat recommendations).
On the other side of that coin, the UK has recorded almost a 30 percent reduction in sugar intake since the calories were made public.
