Overview
- Abu Dhabi’s Adek Red List is now being actively enforced on campuses, with staff conducting random checks of student lunchboxes and notifying parents about non‑compliant items.
- School canteens and suppliers are required to align menus with Adek standards, and many schools are reinforcing earlier curbs on food deliveries during class hours.
- The Red List bars high‑sugar and high‑fat foods, soft drinks including diet variants, energy and sports drinks, caffeinated beverages, deep‑fried items, processed meats, and foods with synthetic colours, artificial sweeteners or preservatives.
- Guidance allows specific exceptions and preparations, such as oven‑baked or air‑fried alternatives to deep‑fried foods, water as the preferred drink, conditional allowances for certain isotonic drinks, and allergen controls that limit nuts and some soy or sesame products.
- Educators and health experts say the rules target better attention, behaviour and long‑term health, while media and specialists offer parents practical lunchbox ideas like wholegrains, lean proteins, fresh fruit and unsweetened dairy; Abu Dhabi’s new Nutri‑Mark labelling adds broader nutrition context.