Abu Dhabi Hotels Must Offer Healthy Menu Options, Low-Sodium Salt Under New DCT Rules
New hospitality requirements will expand healthier choices on hotel menus, with full compliance and enforcement starting October 1, 2026.
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What Are Abu Dhabi's New Hotel Food Rules?
Abu Dhabi is introducing new requirements designed to make healthier food choices more visible and accessible across the emirate's tourism and hospitality sector.
Under Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi Circular No. 7/2026, eligible hotel restaurants and food and beverage outlets operating with a DCT Abu Dhabi tourism licence must provide at least one qualifying healthy choice in every adult food category.
The categories include appetisers, main courses, side dishes and desserts. Qualifying dishes are assessed against the SEHHI nutritional standards developed by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre.
Children's Menus Face a Higher Requirement
The rules also introduce a specific threshold for children's menus. At least 50 per cent of the items offered on children's menus at covered establishments must meet the approved healthy-food criteria.
Hotels can adapt suitable healthy adult dishes into smaller portions for children where appropriate, allowing families to find qualifying choices without requiring a completely separate menu concept.
Low-Sodium Salt Becomes the Default Table Option
A separate DCT Abu Dhabi measure covers salt served to diners after food has been prepared and served.
Under Circular No. 8/2026, potassium-enriched salt is being introduced as the default alternative to conventional table salt at covered establishments.
The change is intended to reduce sodium consumption and support healthier eating environments. The DCT circulars page officially lists the measure as the mandatory use of potassium-enriched salt in hotel restaurants.
- Authority: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
- Healthy food circular: Circular No. 7/2026
- Salt circular: Circular No. 8/2026
- Healthy adult menu requirement: At least one qualifying option in every food category
- Children's menus: At least 50% of listed items must meet the healthy criteria
- Full enforcement: October 1, 2026
What Is SEHHI?
SEHHI is Abu Dhabi's nutritional classification programme used to identify healthier food choices. The programme is operated by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre and is designed to help consumers recognise dishes that meet defined nutritional standards.
The SEHHI framework considers factors such as fat, sugar and salt content alongside the nutritional value of food. Qualifying dishes can be identified using the approved SEHHI classification.
When Will the Rules Be Enforced?
The two policies took effect on July 1, 2026, but establishments were given a three-month implementation period to adjust menus, recipes, purchasing arrangements and operational procedures.
Full compliance and enforcement are scheduled to begin on October 1, 2026.
This means hotels and eligible food outlets have the remainder of September to complete the necessary preparations before the enforcement phase begins.
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Which Businesses Are Covered?
The requirements focus on hotel restaurants and eligible food and beverage outlets operating under a DCT Abu Dhabi tourism licence.
The healthy-menu policy also covers certain independently operated food and beverage outlets that hold the relevant tourism licence. Some specific formats and service models have exemptions under the detailed requirements.
Covered establishments may need to provide menus, recipes and nutritional information for compliance and verification purposes.
Restaurants Must Maintain Healthy Choices After Menu Changes
The requirement does not simply apply when a restaurant first updates its menu. Establishments must continue to maintain the required number of qualifying healthy options when menus are changed.
Where an already approved healthy dish is substantially changed, the establishment may need to submit the updated information for validation again.
Why the Policy Matters to Hotel Guests
The new system means guests at covered establishments should see more clearly identified healthier choices when deciding what to order.
Families will also have more qualifying options to consider from children's menus because half of the listed children's dishes must meet the approved healthy standards.
The salt requirement introduces another visible change: the salt offered by default at the table will shift away from conventional table salt toward the specified lower-sodium alternative.
Abu Dhabi's Wider Healthy Living Programme
The hotel requirements are part of a wider collaboration between DCT Abu Dhabi and Healthy Living, a government-led movement focused on supporting healthier lifestyles across the emirate.
The organisations are working on policies, guidance, industry engagement and research intended to identify and expand practical measures across tourism and hospitality.
Abu Dhabi's hospitality sector serves millions of meals to residents and visitors, making hotels and restaurants an important part of the wider initiative.
What the New Rules Do Not Mean
The policy does not mean that every dish on a covered menu has to be classified as healthy. Instead, establishments must meet the specified minimum number of qualifying choices in the relevant menu categories.
The measures also do not remove ordinary menu items simply because they do not qualify for the healthy classification. The focus is on expanding access to qualifying choices and changing the default table-salt option.
Watch: Abu Dhabi Introduces Healthy Menu Requirements
Aletihad News Center has published a video report explaining Abu Dhabi's new healthy-menu requirements for hotels and restaurants.
Abu Dhabi Requires Hotels and Restaurants to Have Healthy Menu Options
Watch the full report on the Aletihad News Center website.
▶ WATCH VIDEOWhat Hotels Need to Prepare Before October 1
- Review adult menus across all relevant food categories.
- Identify qualifying dishes under the SEHHI nutritional standards.
- Ensure children's menus contain at least 50% qualifying healthy items.
- Keep the required healthy options available when menus are changed.
- Prepare relevant recipes and nutritional information for compliance checks.
- Introduce the required potassium-enriched salt as the default table option.
What Happens From October 1?
October 1 marks the end of the three-month implementation period. From that date, full compliance and enforcement of the new requirements will begin.
DCT Abu Dhabi's official circulars page lists both the healthy-menu requirement and the potassium-enriched-salt requirement among its 2026 tourism circulars.
Establishments that fail to meet applicable requirements may face administrative action under the relevant regulations and resolutions.
What Diners Can Expect
Guests can expect healthier choices to become easier to identify on menus at covered hotel restaurants and tourism-licensed outlets.
Children's menus will have a particularly visible change because at least half of their listed dishes must meet the approved nutritional criteria.
At the table, the default salt option will also change under the separate DCT requirement.
Key Takeaways
- Abu Dhabi has introduced two new DCT tourism-sector health measures in 2026.
- Adult menus at covered establishments must include at least one healthy choice in each food category.
- At least 50% of children's menu items must meet approved healthy standards.
- Qualifying dishes are identified through the SEHHI nutritional classification system.
- Potassium-enriched salt will be the default table-salt option under Circular No. 8/2026.
- Both measures took effect on July 1, 2026, with full enforcement scheduled for October 1.
Conclusion
Abu Dhabi's hotel and hospitality sector is entering a new phase of food-service requirements, with healthier menu choices and a different default table-salt option becoming part of the regulatory framework.
For hotel restaurants and eligible tourism-licensed food outlets, the immediate focus is preparing for October 1, when the implementation period ends and full compliance begins.
For diners, the changes are expected to make qualifying healthier choices more visible while preserving the broader range of food available on menus.
Official Sources & Backlinks
- DCT Abu Dhabi – Official Circulars
- Aletihad News Center – Healthy menu requirements
- Aletihad Video – Abu Dhabi healthy menu requirements
- Khaleej Times – Abu Dhabi hotel healthy food rules
- Gulf News – Abu Dhabi hotel menu requirements
- Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre – SEHHI Programme
- Wikimedia Commons – Abu Dhabi Skyline Photo
- Wikimedia Commons – Healthy Food Photo
- Creative Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0
- Creative Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0
