Starting January 1, 2027, large supermarkets across Abu Dhabi will be required to relocate unhealthy snacks and drinks away from the spots where shoppers are most likely to grab them on impulse — entrances, checkout lanes, and the ends of aisles. The measure comes from Healthy Living, working alongside the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority (ADRA), according to Khaleej Times.
The products themselves are not being pulled from sale. Anything a customer wants will still sit on the regular shelves. What the rules target is placement: high-fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) items flagged as unhealthy under the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre’s SEHHI classification simply cannot occupy the prime, high-traffic positions anymore. In physical stores, the requirement covers outlets exceeding 4,000 square feet.
Digital storefronts fall under the same policy. On online supermarket platforms, HFSS products will be kept off homepage features, search result prominence, checkout screens, and promotional pop-ups, curbing the same kind of spur-of-the-moment buying that the physical rules address.
Dr Ahmed AlKhazraiji, Executive Director of Healthy Living, framed the logic in terms of what customers see first. “Our approach is rooted in behavioural science and real-world evidence, and interventions like this have delivered measurable results globally. When the products consumers encounter first are not the least nutritious options, healthier choices become the natural default — empowering people to make better decisions.” He was emphatic that the intent is not prohibition: “We are not taking away the joy of food or restricting personal choice, every product remains on the shelf. What changes is visibility and impulse purchase decisions.”
ADRA’s Director General, Mohamed Munif Al Mansoori, tied the initiative to consumer welfare. “We are working closely with relevant entities to meet the growing demands of consumers, placing their health, safety, and well-being at the top of our priorities,” he said.
Retailers were consulted during the policy’s design so that the standards would fit how stores actually run, with the framework also drawing on results from countries that have tried comparable measures. Compliance is now underway across the emirate, and Carrefour has already finished rolling out the changes in its Abu Dhabi branches ahead of the deadline. Ahmed Galal Ismail, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, said, “Retailers have a unique opportunity to help shape healthier communities through the everyday choices they enable. We are proud to support this ambition and to have achieved compliance with the Responsible Food and Beverage Placement Standards across our Carrefour stores in Abu Dhabi.”
The placement rules sit within a wider Healthy Living agenda that also covers advertising standards for food and drink and nutrition benchmarks for school meals, and they follow a pledge from Al Ain Farms Group to cut sugar across its range. On the education side, the emirate has already removed junk food from school canteens, obligating schools to build healthy food environments and lay out clear standards for the meals and snacks available to students.
That schools mandate reaches beyond the canteen. Guidance extends to food sent from home and treats shared at celebrations, all aimed at lowering health risks and supporting healthy development through consistent practices. Early Education Institutions were separately directed by the Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) to adopt a comprehensive nutrition policy, spell out banned items to both staff and parents, and set up ongoing monitoring — while keeping parents involved in decisions about what their children eat.
