Your next Abu Dhabi grocery run might feel a little different. Shoppers at Carrefour branches across Abu Dhabi have already noticed chocolate bars, gum and other sugary grab-and-go snacks disappearing from checkout counters, entrances, and aisle ends- the three spots retailers know trigger the most impulse buys. It’s not a one-off store decision. Supermarkets across Abu Dhabi are now required to clear unhealthy food and beverage products from these high-traffic zones as part of a directive under the Healthy Living programme.
The Bigger Health Push Behind It
This checkout shake-up is just one piece of a much larger picture. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health rolled out its Healthy Living strategy with 25 separate initiatives. All are aimed at tackling obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases, and supermarket layouts are only the latest addition. The programme has already reshaped how brands can market food in the emirate, including a ban on outdoor advertising for unhealthy food and drinks, and stricter nutrition rules in school lunchboxes that now apply to birthday parties and packed lunches too. The idea, according to health officials, isn’t to ban products outright but to make the healthier choice the easier one.
Also Read: Just 5 Minutes Of Junk Food Ads Can Coax Children To Consume Extra 130 Calories Per Day
How Nutri-Mark & TAMM Help You Shop Smarter
Beyond store layouts, you’ll notice more packaged foods carrying the Nutri-Mark label. It’s a front-of-pack grading system developed by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. They rate products from A (highest nutritional value) to E (lowest). If a product hasn’t been, labelled yet, the TAMM app lets you scan it and check its classification on the spot. This fills the gap until labelling rolls out across every category. Between the checkout clear-out, the ad restrictions and the label rollout, Abu Dhabi’s supermarkets are looking noticeably different this year. As per residents it’s already changing what ends up in their trolleys.
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FAQs
Why are supermarkets in Abu Dhabi removing snacks from checkout counters?
It's part of the Healthy Living programme, which requires supermarkets to clear unhealthy food and beverage products from high-traffic, impulse-buy zones like checkout counters, store entrances and aisle ends.
What is the Nutri-Mark label?
A front-of-pack nutrition grading system developed by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, rating packaged foods from A (healthiest) to E (least healthy).