Healthy Food Rules in UAE School Canteens: What Is Banned and Who Checks

The UAE's National Guide for Food and Beverages in the School Environment bans sweetened drinks, tea and coffee, sweets, chocolate, fried foods, nuts and processed meats from school canteens, Gulf News reported in April 2026. In Dubai, five Dubai Municipality food safety inspectors oversee 456 schools, nurseries and kindergartens every year.

What the national guide bans

The guide was issued by the UAE's health authorities, with local authorities reporting to the Ministry of Health and Prevention. It lists these as prohibited in the school environment:

• Sweetened drinks, including fizzy drinks, energy drinks and flavoured beverages
• Tea and coffee
• Hard and soft sweets, gum and lollipops
• Chocolate and chocolate-coated biscuits
• Fried foods, crisps, chips, cakes and doughnuts
• Nuts, and products containing traces of nuts
• Processed meats such as salami-style meats and sausages

Who it applies to

The guide covers public, private, independent and vocational schools, centres for People of Determination, food suppliers and companies that run school canteens. It sorts canteens into three types: those selling pre-packaged food, sandwich cafeterias, and full-service kitchens.

Suppliers must hold valid municipal permits and meet nutritional standards. They must assess the nutrition of each item from its ingredients and portion size, update that data when a product changes, and share it with schools and regulators on request.

How Dubai checks canteens

Dubai Municipality set out its school checks for the 2025 academic year in September 2025:

WhatHow it works Smart Food Choices SystemCanteens must use it. Food is sorted into four colour groups (green, yellow, red, black) to limit unhealthy items and promote fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, water and low-fat milk. InspectionsFive food safety inspectors oversee 456 educational institutions a year, with regular field visits. DM Checked platformDaily monitoring of canteen performance; menus are reviewed and approved against Dubai's nutrition and food safety rules. TrainingThe Applied Nutrition and Awareness Section runs workshops for canteen staff and school nutrition officers, and awareness sessions for students on healthy eating and food waste. EnforcementNon-compliant products can be withdrawn and banned from circulation, and the school must take corrective action.

The municipality also approves which products suppliers may sell to schools. Before the 2022–2023 school year it approved 1,553 food items, and said schools should serve only approved food made by licensed businesses, with a named person in charge of food safety.

Food deliveries and forgotten lunches

Khaleej Times reported in September 2025 that Dubai schools, following KHDA and Dubai Municipality guidelines, do not allow delivery apps for students during school hours. At one school, parents must hand food over in person and sign an undertaking at reception. Other schools said they contact parents straight away if a child forgets lunch, and offer a canteen meal or accept a lunch box dropped at reception. In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has separately banned food delivery during school hours.

What this means for packed lunches

The national guide, as reported, regulates canteens and suppliers rather than lunch boxes from home. Individual schools set their own lunch-box policies, often mirroring the canteen list, so check your school's policy, particularly on nuts.

What to check

• Ask your school for its healthy eating and lunch-box policy for this year.
• Check its rules on nuts, which the national guide bans in canteens.
• Find out how forgotten lunches are handled before relying on a drop-off.
• Questions about a Dubai canteen's food safety can go to Dubai Municipality.

For general information. Rules can change; check with your school, KHDA or Dubai Municipality before relying on them.