Restaurants in Dubai to declare calorie content

Dubai - Sugar taxes would also be discussed, he said.

A policy being developed by Dubai will soon make it compulsory for restaurants to write the calorie content alongside the prices on the foods listed in their menu.
As the UAE struggles to fight the battle of the bulge with a prevalence of 37 per cent of obese adults considered among the highest in the world, policy makers and health officials attended a dialogue organised by The Economist to discuss the Global Crisis of Obesity on Wednesday.
A senior official from Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dr Manal Taryam said that obesity was no longer a personal issue. "There should be a strategy and it should be handled by the government. It should be a holistic approach that involves many entities," said Dr Manal who is the Chief Executive Officer, Public Healthcare Services.
"We are working on developing a policy whereby majority of the restaurants will be required to write the calorie count along with the listed price. This will empower people to make a choice," she said.
Dr Ramadan AlBlooshi, CEO at the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), who experienced health issues due to obesity, said that a Law of Public Health had been proposed. "Though it is too early to talk about this and there are many stakeholders involved, we would like to encourage companies to participate in initiatives and make it easier for their employees to maintain their health," he said.
He suggested tips such as offering healthy foods in canteens as well as giving incentives and rewards to employees to lose weight.
He also said that among others law being looked into were those that push for a stricter control on food advertising on social media without a licence.
Sugar taxes would also be discussed, he said.
Tackling obesity in children
A pilot project started in two schools in Dubai has already shown results. "When we first started the project earlier this year, the rate of obesity among children was between 13.5 to 14 per cent which is high," said Dr Manal.
"But we engaged students and parents through counselling sessions while educators monitored them and within six months results showed that obesity rates fell by 3.5 per cent in school A and by four per cent in school B."
The project's success will now be expanded to a federal level and by next year, according to our strategy we will see a reduction in obesity among school children, she said, adding that labelling of food in school canteens was also an important aspect. "Smiley faced stickers were used to indicate healthy food in canteens and it worked," she said.
The event was opened by a special address delivered by Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, titled "Towards a national culture of health and wellbeing: the importance of youth engagement.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

'It never crossed my mind that I was fat'
Bollywood actress and healthy lifestyle advocate Zareen Khan, who fought obesity as a teenager, talked about her fight to lose the flab."As a teenager I weighed more than 100kgs because I was an avid junk food eater. Life was about eating and enjoying until circumstances at home forced me to look for a job and I decided to become an airhostess," she said.
"But who wants an airhostess who weighs 100kg and has a waist measuring 44 inches!"
She said, "I had never exercised, let alone walked, so it never even crossed my mind that I was fat. I was just happy the way I was even though I could not wear the clothes all girls my age wore."
She said that she started disciplining herself once the need for the job grew by changing her eating habits and exercising daily. "I started fitting in many clothes and started feeling good.and within a few months I had lost around 40 kg which is equal to the weight of another person."
Today, she is addicted to fitness. "If I had better knowledge, I wouldn't have been what I was."
Eating right is important and the battle with obesity starts in the brain, she added.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com