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Bahrain risks being left behind as the only Gulf country not enforcing mandatory calorie labelling on menus, with MPs and municipal leaders requesting the law finally be applied from January 1.
The regulation was first approved in 2018 but never implemented. Since then, all other GCC states – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – have rolled out the requirement, leaving Bahrain as the sole exception despite being the first to propose it.
Parliament’s Strategic Thinking Bloc has now submitted a proposal calling for the rules to take effect at the start of the new year, with businesses given until December 2025 to comply.
Mr Al Salloom
“It’s frankly embarrassing. Bahrain led the way with this initiative, but every Gulf country has gone ahead and implemented it while we continue to stall,” said bloc president and Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee chairman MP Ahmed Al Salloom.
“The regulation is ready. It’s no longer complicated – many restaurants and cafés in Bahrain are either part of Gulf-wide chains or global franchises already applying calorie labelling elsewhere. Bahrain could simply ‘copy-paste’ the same descriptions and move forward.”
Saudi inspectors checking on menu screens
The regulation is being pushed as a public health necessity.
Nearly one-third of Bahraini teenagers are overweight or obese, according to official statistics, with diets high in sugar, sodium and fat driving the trend.
“This is about giving people the information they need to make better choices,” said Mr Al Salloom, who is also a Bahrain Chamber board member, and chairman of the Better Life Society and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society.
“We already demand nutrition labelling on supermarket products – it’s only logical to require the same transparency from restaurants and cafés.”
He urged the Industry and Commerce Ministry to issue an immediate directive to accelerate implementation.
“The delay has gone on for far too long. It’s time to act,” he added.
Ms Al Qattan
Capital Trustees Board vice-chairwoman and vice-chairwoman of the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society and Better Life Society Khulood Al Qattan backed the parliamentary proposal, stressing the move is both a health and consumer rights issue.
“People deserve to know what they’re consuming – whether it comes in a package or is served on a plate,” she said. “Bahrain is now the only Gulf country not applying this rule. With the right push, we can catch up quickly, because most outlets already have calorie information from their regional or global operations.”
A proposal to have calorie count display before January 1
She added that adopting the regulation would enhance public trust in the food and beverage sector.
“This is about protecting consumers and promoting healthier lifestyles,” Ms Al Qattan said. “The next step must be a ministerial directive backed by an action plan. Bahrain should not be the exception – food transparency must become a national priority.”
It is not clear why there has been such a delay in implementing the instruction, although the GDN understands there are moves to seek a standarisation of the calorie counting process and ways to ensure they are accurate and can be officially monitored.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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