Dubai launches A-to-E food grading system to verify packaging claims

UAE – Dubai Municipality has launched a new traffic-light-style food grading system, assigning products ratings from A to E based on laboratory-verified nutritional data to help consumers make healthier purchasing decisions and ensure packaging claims are accurate.

Introduced through Dubai Central Laboratory, the service uses laboratory testing to verify the accuracy of nutritional information displayed on food packaging before translating the results into a simple grading system. 

The five-grade system will classify products according to their nutritional value and approved assessment standards, providing consumers with a clearer indication of the nutritional quality of different foods. 

This approach moves beyond trusting on-pack claims at face value, establishing a regulatory check on whether what is printed on packaging matches the actual contents of the product.

Label Accuracy Key to Consumer Trust

The service is designed to address the accuracy of information provided on food packaging, giving shoppers access to more reliable nutritional data when choosing products. 

Inaccurate or misleading on-pack nutritional claims have long been a source of consumer distrust and regulatory action across global markets, with discrepancies between stated and actual values undermining the credibility of front-of-pack labelling. 

By combining scientific testing with a simplified grading label, the municipality aims to make nutritional information easier for consumers to understand and support more informed purchasing decisions.

Manufacturers Gain Verification for Compliance

The system will also help food manufacturers, suppliers and companies verify the nutritional information associated with their products through laboratory testing, providing evidence that the information they supply is accurate. 

For brands operating in Dubai’s competitive retail market, a verified A-to-E rating could serve as a marketing asset, while products receiving lower grades may face pressure to reformulate or adjust their packaging claims to maintain consumer appeal.

Existing Laboratory Infrastructure Supports Rollout

Dubai Central Laboratory already conducts food sample testing through its microbiological and chemical analysis facilities, which form part of the municipality’s existing laboratory services. 

The new service builds on these capabilities by linking laboratory verification of nutritional information to a graded label that communicates results to consumers. 

The initiative reflects growing regulatory attention to packaging accuracy across the Gulf region, where health authorities are tightening oversight of food labelling, nutritional claims and front-of-pack information as part of broader public health strategies aimed at reducing diet-related disease and improving consumer transparency.

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