The chocolate milk, strawberry milk, and fruit juices that generations of children in the UAE have grown up with will soon contain less added sugar, after Al Ain Farms Group announced it was reformulating some of its most popular products, reports BritPanorama.
The company will reduce added sugar by between 10 and 20 per cent across selected products in alignment with Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy. This initiative positions Al Ain Farms Group as one of the first major food manufacturers in the country to take voluntary steps towards adjusting their products ahead of upcoming nutrition regulations.
The reductions will specifically apply to selected juices, flavoured milk, flavoured yoghurt, and laban, with changes expected to reach supermarket shelves before the school season resumes in September. This marks a critical step in Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy to combat obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases by making healthier choices more accessible rather than relying solely on individual dietary changes.
Instead of encouraging the public solely through educational campaigns, the Healthy Living strategy focuses on collaboration with manufacturers, supermarkets, and digital food platforms to enhance the nutritional quality of everyday food items and simplify the availability of healthier products.
Leading the way
Dr Ahmed Al Khazraji, executive director of Healthy Living at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, commended the company’s proactive approach. “Al Ain Farms has taken this important step proactively, as a strong local champion,” he remarked. “That’s important because it shows other food and beverage manufacturers what’s possible when the government and industry come together with a focus on strengthening prevention and improving public health.”
Notably, naturally occurring sugars from ingredients such as milk and fruit will remain unchanged. The new recipes will not include artificial sweeteners, and products will be clearly labelled to indicate reduced sugar content.
Dr Al Khazraji emphasized the need for a system-wide effort beyond individual willpower, stating, “If products people buy every day become healthier, those small changes accumulate over time. That’s how we improve health across an entire population.” He referenced international success stories where gradual reformulation of food products led to significant health improvements, highlighting evidence from the UK where reduced salt levels in common foods correlated with a decline in stroke-related deaths.
Recipe for success
This announcement comes in advance of the planned introduction of Nutri-Mark, a UAE front-of-pack labelling system designed to classify foods according to their nutritional profile. Dr Al Khazraji lauded Al Ain Farms’ decision to lead in this voluntary step, fostering a culture of collaboration for public health improvement.
Conversations are ongoing with several manufacturers regarding similar health-focused commitments, with additional announcements anticipated in the near future. “I see the future has already started,” Dr Al Khazraji affirmed. “We’re now having companies proactively reaching out to us because they recognize the direction we’re taking.”
The Healthy Living initiative’s ambitions extend to creating a united front with manufacturers, retailers, digital platforms, and government entities, as improving public health is deemed a collective responsibility. They aim to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all, aspiring to lower obesity and disease rates in the coming years.
While the immediate health impact of these changes remains to be quantified as products roll out, Dr Al Khazraji expressed confidence that reducing added sugar in commonly consumed items will yield positive health outcomes over time.
