The UAE’s health authorities have issued the National Guide for Food and Beverages in the School Environment, designed to support school administrations, food suppliers, and service providers in making informed choices that ensure students have access to a diverse range of healthy and nutritious food and beverages throughout the school day.The guide aims to help students develop healthy eating habits while ensuring they receive the energy and nutrients needed to sustain them academically. It emphasizes the importance of offering age-appropriate, nutritious food options that support both physical and cognitive development.

By promoting balanced meals, the guide seeks to enhance concentration and memory, improve academic achievement, reduce obesity and malnutrition, and instill sustainable healthy eating behaviors.Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here. Additionally, the guide provides practical, evidence-based information on key nutrition concepts and recommendations to encourage healthy eating habits among students. It outlines clear standards and requirements for the sourcing, production, and storage of food and beverages to ensure both their nutritional value and safety.School food and beverage frameworkThe guide establishes a structured approach to managing food and beverages sold, provided, or promoted within school premises.

It also ensures alignment and coordination among relevant authorities without conflicting with existing national and local food safety regulations, which remain under the jurisdiction of competent entities.It standardizes criteria across all schools and educational institutions in the UAE and sets mechanisms for monitoring implementation, enhancing students’ health and nutrition outcomes. The guide also clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of both local and federal authorities across implementation, oversight, and evaluation stages.Guidelines applicable to all educational institutionsThe document confirms that its guiding principles apply to public, private, independent, and vocational schools, as well as centers for People of Determination across the UAE, in addition to food suppliers and any entities managing or handling school canteen services.Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What’s on the banned list?

Local authorities are entrusted with four key responsibilities:Supervising schools’ compliance with health and nutrition standardsDesignating entities responsible for monitoring and inspection within each emirateEstablishing appropriate procedures and penalties to ensure complianceFollowing up on corrective actions in cases of violationsThey are also responsible for collecting and analyzing data related to implementation and submitting periodic reports to the Ministry of Health and Prevention. These reports must include compliance levels, inspection outcomes, corrective actions taken, recorded violations, and proposed initiatives to further enhance implementation.Three types of school canteensThe guide classifies school canteens into three categories:Canteens selling and distributing pre-packaged food itemsCafeterias preparing sandwichesFull-service kitchens (school restaurants) 3 responsibilities assigned to schoolsSchools are tasked with 13 key responsibilities, including full compliance with all food service standards and requirements.

School canteens must meet strict specifications related to food safety, hygiene, and quality. Staff responsible for canteens must also receive proper training in nutrition and hygiene standards.UAE schools tighten mobile phone ban, warn of month-long confiscation Food suppliers must hold valid permits issued by local municipalities and comply with all stipulated standards. School administrations are required to regularly verify that products meet nutritional guidelines.Parents are granted access to canteen menus, and all food-related complaints must be documented along with the actions taken.

Schools must also regularly review roles and responsibilities outlined in the national guide.Responsibilities of food suppliersThe guide outlines strict obligations for food suppliers, including:Obtaining and maintaining valid permitsContinuous and strict compliance with nutritional standardsConducting nutritional assessments for all food items based on ingredients and portion sizesProviding relevant information to schools and regulatory authorities when requiredNutritional data must be updated whenever there are changes in products, ingredients, proportions, or portion sizes. Suppliers must also comply with contractual obligations and coordinate with schools to address individual dietary needs and differences among students. Additionally, all food handlers must meet health fitness requirements set by relevant authorities.List of prohibited foods and beverages in schoolsThe guide strictly bans a range of unhealthy and allergen-related items within school environments, including:All sugary drinks such as