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9 tips Dubai residents can use to shop smarter for groceries
Dubai Municipality is helping residents by giving them an easy list of things to keep in mind when shopping
- PUBLISHED: Tue 18 Aug 2026, 10:36 AM
Have you ever come back home from an evening of shopping for groceries at the supermarket, only to realise that you have brought home much more than you should have?
These small choices don't just impact your wallet, they make a difference to the environment. In fact, changes that residents make on an individual basis can make a positive impact on the environment.
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Dubai Municipality is helping residents by giving them an easy list of things to keep in mind when shopping. Here's a look at the list:
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- Plan your purchases before you go shopping
- Buy only what you need and avoid overbuying
- Choose products with minimal packaging whenever possible
- Use reusable shopping bags
- Opt for larger pack sizes when appropriate to reduce waste
- Make sure to use products before they reach their expiry date
- Prioritise your purchases to avoid waste
- Choose recyclable products
- Avoid single-use products whenever sustainable alternatives are available
Cheaper essentials
UAE residents can now compare the prices of everyday groceries across major supermarkets before heading out to shop, using a new official digital platform launched by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.
The Essential Goods Prices Platform allows shoppers to search for basic items such as rice, cooking oil, eggs, bread, chicken, meat, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits and water and compare prices across participating retailers.
The Essential Goods Prices Platform is an official online tool that shows prices of essential consumer goods across major retail outlets in the UAE.
The platform allows users to search for and select products, build a shopping list, and compare total bills across major stores to check where they can save the most.
According to the ministry, the platform covers 33 items in its initial phase, including 17 basic goods and 16 other essential products. Prices are monitored across 12 major retail outlets nationwide.
The platform currently covers essential grocery categories such as cooking oil, wheat, rice, dairy products, legumes, sugar, eggs, bread, chicken, fish, meat, fruit, vegetables and water.
Users can browse products by category or use filters to narrow down their search. For instance, a shopper looking for rice, eggs or cooking oil can select the relevant category, compare listed items and check how prices differ across participating retailers.
