The UAE has made nutritional labeling of pre-packed products as traffic light colors voluntary, after amending a requirement that would have made such labeling mandatory.
An official statement said the move is in line with the UAE government’s “focus on supporting the performance and competitiveness of the industrial sector and easing procedures”.
Under the standard, which was scheduled to become mandatory in early January 2022, manufacturers were required to provide a color-coded system of nutritional data in all pre-packed food products.
The statement said the decision to amend the mandatory requirement will remove logistical challenges and financial burdens on manufacturers and suppliers.
Omar Suwaina Al-Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said the shift to optional implementation will lead to an estimated financial saving of AED1.4bn across the sector by removing the need to modify the labels currently in use or in storage – the costs of which would ultimately be borne by the consumer.
He said, “In line with international best practices, the ministry has granted manufacturers the freedom to apply nutritional data specifications for products packaged in traffic light colors optionally.”