Quality control and health officials in Abu Dhabi have launched a new nutrition grading system that must be placed on five food items by June 1, in a move to combat alarming obesity rates among Abu Dhabi residents. Products found on supermarket shelves without Nutri-Mark, which grades the nutritional content in a food item, will be withdrawn and concerned parties will be fined. This will also apply to items that are displaying a higher grading than it should. What is Nutri-Mark? Nutri-Mark grades the nutritious value of a certain item from A to E, with A being most healthy. The first phase of the new scheme applies to baked goods, oils, dairies, children’s food and beverages. Manufacturers and local agents of the selected items must conduct scientifically-backed measurements to grade their products accurately and produce Nutri-Mark labels to place on the front packaging. “Then, we will be conducting supermarket surveillance and taking samples of (Nutri-Mark labelled) products. After June 1, if we find on-shelf products without Nutri-Mark, they will be withdrawn and retailers will be fined,” said Abdulla Al Muaini, Executive Director of the Central Testing Lab at Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council (ADQCC). ADVERTISING Meanwhile, if a tested […]