Eating out in Abu Dhabi is about to get a lot more health-conscious. Starting October 1, 2026, every tourism-licensed hotel and restaurant in the emirate will be required to include healthy options on their menus, under new rules issued by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Restaurants Will Need Healthy Choices On Menus
The mandate applies to hotel-operated and independent food and beverage outlets holding a tourism licence. Adult menus must feature at least one healthy option in every category: appetisers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts. Children’s menus face a tougher standard: at least 50% of listed items must qualify as healthy. Restaurants can also adapt qualifying adult dishes into smaller portions for younger diners where appropriate.
To count as “healthy”, dishes must meet nutritional standards under the SEHHI classification and carry the SEHHI logo clearly on the menu, the same system Abu Dhabi has used to flag low-calorie, low-salt, fibre-rich options on menus and packaged food labels.
Also Read: Abu Dhabi: Food Deliveries Banned To Schools Amid Stricter Healthy Food Policies
How Compliance Will Work
Restaurants may be asked to submit their menus for review, and in some cases, provide recipes and nutritional breakdowns for assessment by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. Outlets are already working with the centre to verify that their dishes will be treated as compliant as long as progress is being made. Any time a menu is updated, restaurants will need to keep the required number of healthy options in place, and previously approved dishes that change will need to go back through validation.
Also Read: Junk Food Banned From Abu Dhabi Schools; Strict Rules For Healthy Eating Implemented In Canteens
Who’s Exempted
Buffets and other formats without a fixed printed menu are exempt, though venues are still expected to offer reasonable healthy choices. Fixed tasting menus are excluded too. Smaller, niche outlets may also fall outside the rules if they serve no more than three food categories, offer no seating, and skip a written menu beyond signage or display boards. Beverage-only spots aren’t covered, since the policy is specifically about food.
With the October 1 deadline just weeks away, expect Abu Dhabi’s dining scene to start rolling out SEHHI-tagged dishes across menus well before the rule kicks in.
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FAQs
What is SEHHI?
SEHHI is the classification system used to determine whether food options meet Abu Dhabi's nutritional standards.