Obese kids spark junk food ban

FAT FIGHT: Junk food will be completely banned in all public and private schools in the UAE in the next academic year. (Getty Images)

Junk food will be completely banned in all public and private schools in the UAE in the next academic year, to battle increasing obesity and diabetic levels among students.

Junk food will be replaced by fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh juice, cheese and milk in school cafeterias, UAE daily Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday.

The making of pizzas and hamburgers will be supervised to monitor the type of oil and meat that is used, Ministry of Education and Youth official Ahmad Abdul-Rahman told the newspaper.

“We are planning a complete ban on junk food now and will follow up closely with the five Al Ghad Schools as part of the pilot project. The standards will be set for all schools in the UAE, including guidelines for private schools to follow," Abdul-Rahman said.

The new health standards will be applied at the Al Ghad public schools first before rolling out to all schools in the UAE, including private institutions.

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What's the point when the advertising's still there?
Posted by Doug, Dubai on Sunday 29 June 2008 at 14:28 UAE time


Why bother? There's still adverts on (notably by KFC) that actually make out that feeding babies junk food is a good idea. There's a terrible ad out at the moment where a mother feeds the grease from KFC chicken to a baby to stop it crying. And for some reason this is regarded as being completely appropriate, instead of a national shame that such adverts are allowed.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure-Ban on Junk food
Posted by Valerie Houghton, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Thursday 26 June 2008 at 08:43 UAE time

Having worked as Registered Dietitian in one of the largest public school systems in the United States where we fed 120,000 students per day, I can shed some insight on the issue of so called "junk food". This is a slippery slope to manage if there are not any nutrient standards in place to identify junk from non-junk food. Simply eliminating foods from a venue because they are perceived as unhealthy is frivolous. For example, if a product contains sugar is it junk? All fruits, most vegetables and milk contain some type of sugar. Is this junk food?

On a much broader scale, perhaps the government should consider the overall impact of meals and snacks being provided to students vs. scrutinizing certain foods. Do the students have access to nutritionally adequate breakfasts and lunches or snacks appropriate for their age? Nutrition requirements for a 5 year old are not the same as a 15 year old.

Have these guidelines for feeding school children been established in the UAE?

Another question to ask; what are the long term strategies here? Is it to educate children on healthy eating in an effort to stem the tide of obesity and diabetes? I hope so and I also hope that mandatory nutrition education in schools to reinforce the importance of a healthy lifestyle is being included in this plan. Nutrition education in schools is paramount if the goal is to change eating behaviours of youth and to reduce the appalling rate of diabetes and obesity.

Lastly, include registered dietitians in the formation of nutrition education and feeding programs. These professionals can provide the expertise required to formulate guidelines and implement programs that will positively impact the health of the students.

The politics of feeding children at school, regulating foods that can be sold or served and managing the food and beverage companies who want the disposable income of UAE students will require stringent guidelines and well planned school nutrition policies. There is much work to be done in the UAE.

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