The chocolate milk, strawberry milk and fruit juices that generations of children in the UAE have grown up with will soon contain less added sugar, after Al Ain Farms Group announced it was reformulating some of its most popular products.
The company will reduce added sugar by between 10 and 20 per cent across selected products in alignment with Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy. The move makes Al Ain Farms Group one of the first major food manufacturers in the country to voluntarily adjust products ahead of wider nutrition regulations.
The reductions apply to selected juices, flavoured milk, flavoured yoghurt and laban, and the changes are expected to reach supermarket shelves before children return to school in September.
The move represents an important milestone in Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy, which aims to tackle obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases by making healthy choices easier for residents rather than relying solely on individual behaviour.
Instead of simply encouraging people to eat better, Healthy Living is working with manufacturers, supermarkets and digital food platforms to improve the nutritional quality of everyday foods and make healthier products easier to find.
Leading the way
Dr Ahmed Al Khazraji, executive director of Healthy Living at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, praised the company's move.
“Al Ain Farms has taken this important step proactively, as a strong local champion,” he said. “That’s important because it shows other food and beverage manufacturers what’s possible when the government and industry come together with a focus on strengthening prevention and improving public health.”
Naturally occurring sugars in ingredients such as milk and fruit will remain unchanged, and the recipes will not include artificial sweeteners. The products will carry labels highlighting the reduced sugar.
“It isn’t just about willpower,” Dr Al Khazraji said. “Individual responsibility is important, but there also has to be a system-wide effort that makes healthy choices easier.
“If products people buy every day become healthier, those small changes accumulate over time. That’s how we improve health across an entire population.”
Dr Al Khazraji cited international evidence of how gradual reformulation can improve public health without consumers noticing significant changes in flavour.
In the UK, manufacturers collectively reduced salt levels in commonly consumed foods over several years. Studies later linked those changes to a substantial decline in stroke-related deaths.
“The important point is that people didn’t notice the difference,” he said. “The focus isn’t on saying sugar or fat is bad. Food should still be enjoyable. What we’re trying to reduce is excess.”
Recipe for success
Hassan Safi, group chief executive of Al Ain Farms Group, said the products were selected because they are consumed daily by families across the UAE, meaning even modest reductions in sugar could have a meaningful impact over time.
“We tested the old recipe and the new recipe, and they could not tell the difference,” Mr Safi said. “They will continue enjoying the same products, but with less added sugar.
“We believe food producers have an important role to play in creating healthier food environments. This is a national agenda and we believe we should be part of that journey from the beginning.”
The announcement also comes before the planned introduction of Nutri-Mark, a UAE front-of-pack labelling system to classify foods according to their nutritional profile.
“They’ve gone above and beyond,” said Dr Al Khazraji of Al Ain Farms’ decision. “They’ve chosen to take that leadership step voluntarily, and that’s exactly the kind of engagement we want to encourage.”
Several manufacturers are in discussions with Healthy Living about similar commitments, with further announcements expected in the coming months.
“I see the future has already started,” Dr Al Khazraji said. “We’re now having companies proactively reaching out to us because they recognise the direction we’re taking. They already have healthier products as part of their strategy and want to work with us.
“Our ambition is to bring everyone together – manufacturers, retailers, digital platforms and government – because improving public health cannot be achieved by one organisation alone. Our goal is simple: to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone.”
Healthy Living is measuring the short and long-term impact of its initiatives, but expects them to contribute to lower rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes over the coming years.
“It’s too early to quantify the health impact of this specific initiative because the products are only now reaching the market,” Dr Al Khazraji said. “But we’re confident that reducing added sugar across widely consumed products will contribute to better health outcomes over time.”
