Kuwait Municipal Council Proposes Strict Rules for Restaurant Nutrition Data

KUWAIT CITY, April 30: Municipal Council member Fahad Al-Abdaljader on Monday submitted a proposal to guarantee the accuracy of nutritional information presented in restaurants. In the introduction to his proposal, Al-Abdaljader cited several justifications, specifically the rising health awareness within the community and the growing number of individuals who are calculating nutritional values like calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats as an essential component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He pointed out that there have been inaccuracies in the figures displayed on the menus of many restaurants, hence the need for a clear regulatory structure to maintain reliability and trustworthiness. He revealed that his proposal is based on leading international practices adopted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States of America and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). He called for its approval in coordination with SFDA, while enumerating the main goals of the proposal as follows:

● Prior Oversight (approval before publication):
No restaurant or café should be allowed to display or publish nutritional information on the menu without obtaining the Nutritional Label Approval Certificate, which will be based on the results of meal testing conducted through an accredited analytical software or the laboratories that check the ingredients and preparation methods. Restaurants must be required to link each meal with a QR code for the consumers and regulatory authorities to access the certificate of conformity.

● Post-Test Monitoring and Ensuring Test Integrity:
A system of unannounced periodic inspections should be introduced, including the random sampling of restaurant meals every three months to verify the declared values. The blind testing approach should be implemented, such that samples are sent to laboratories identified only by serial numbers, without disclosing the name of the restaurant in order to prevent the manipulation of results. This is in addition to the establishment of a central laboratory affiliated with the Kuwait Municipality, or signing a contract with an accredited laboratory, to act as a regulatory body for testing random samples, particularly if blind testing cannot be carried out through private laboratories. q Margin of Error and Penalty Range: The margin of error between declared values and laboratory findings should range from 10 percent to 15 percent.

Penalties for exceeding this margin are as follows:

● First violation: a formal warning, along with the removal of nutritional information from menus until the re-inspection is conducted at the expense of the violating establishment.

● Second violation: imposition of a financial penalty under the ‘commercial deception and endangering consumer health’ classification.

● Third violation: permanent revocation of the license to display nutritional information, with the possibility of temporarily closing the establishment. Al-Abdaljader underscored the importance of approving the proposal immediately due to its significance in protecting public health and maintaining transparency in the local market.

By Inaas Awadh Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff