Abu Dhabi will require supermarkets and their online platforms to remove foods high in fat, salt and sugar from prominent sales locations under a mandatory retail policy taking effect on January 1, 2027.The responsible placement policy will cover physical stores larger than 4,000 square feet and their digital shopping channels. It is designed to reduce the prominence of less nutritious products without banning their sale or limiting consumers’ access to them.
Products classified as unhealthy under the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre’s SEHHI nutritional system will no longer be permitted at store entrances, checkout areas or end-of-aisle displays. These locations are commercially valuable because they attract heavy customer traffic and can encourage unplanned purchases.
The rules will also extend to supermarket websites and mobile applications, where covered products cannot be featured prominently on home pages, promotional pop-ups, search results or checkout pages. The inclusion of digital platforms reflects the growing role of online grocery shopping and the ability of retailers to influence purchasing decisions through product rankings and screen placement.
Consumers will remain able to find and purchase the affected food and beverage products within their usual store aisles or through standard online searches. Officials said the policy changes visibility rather than availability, preserving customer choice while reducing the marketing advantage given to nutritionally weaker options.
The initiative has been introduced by Healthy Living in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, the arm of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development responsible for regulating and developing the emirate’s business sector.
The policy was developed with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, and Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority. Retailers were also consulted to ensure the requirements could be incorporated into store layouts and digital systems without creating disproportionate operational disruption.
Mohamed Munif Al Mansoori, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, said the measure formed part of efforts to support an environment in which people could live, work and invest while maintaining their health and wellbeing.
He said regulators would combine compliance measures with awareness campaigns intended to help shoppers understand the choices available in the market. The approach places responsibility on retailers to follow the placement standards while seeking to improve consumers’ ability to make informed decisions.
Dr Ahmed AlKhazraiji, executive director of Healthy Living, said preventive health was the foundation of the programme and that the policy drew on behavioural science and evidence from comparable interventions elsewhere.
“When the products consumers encounter first are not the least nutritious options, healthier choices become the natural default,” he said.
AlKhazraiji stressed that the policy would not eliminate products or interfere with individual preferences. Every covered item would remain available, but retailers would no longer be able to place it in locations most strongly associated with impulse buying.
The measure targets the “choice architecture” of retail environments, a public-health approach that seeks to shape purchasing patterns by changing how options are presented. Supermarket entrances, aisle ends and checkout counters are commonly used to promote products because customers are more likely to notice them there than on regular shelves.
Online retailers employ similar techniques through sponsored results, recommended products, personalised promotions and last-minute suggestions presented before payment. Extending the regulations to digital platforms is intended to prevent unhealthy products from simply shifting from prominent physical displays to equally influential online positions.
The policy adds another element to Abu Dhabi’s wider strategy for addressing obesity, diabetes and other diet-related non-communicable diseases. The emirate has expanded weight-management services and nutritional initiatives as health authorities place greater emphasis on prevention alongside clinical treatment.
Obesity is associated with increased risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Health authorities increasingly view food environments, advertising practices, affordability and product availability as factors that influence diets alongside personal behaviour.
Retailers have until the end of 2026 to review covered product ranges, redesign promotional arrangements and update their websites and applications. Larger stores may need to replace checkout confectionery displays, revise commercial agreements with suppliers and reprogramme online recommendation systems.
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