UAE to Link Drink Prices to Sugar Content Starting in 2026
Jul 20, 2025
The Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tax Authority have announced that taxes on sweetened beverages will be calculated based on their sugar content per 100 millilitres starting in 2026. The move aims to address rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and related chronic conditions by incentivising lower-sugar formulations.
This policy builds on the UAE's existing tax on sugary soft drinks introduced in 2017, which has been credited with helping reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. A US-based study estimates that sugary drinks contribute to 2.2 million new global diabetes cases and 1.2 million cardiovascular disease cases annually. In the Middle East, they were linked to approximately 15% of all diabetes cases, according to research published in Nature Medicine by Tufts University.
Sugar taxes were first implemented in the Gulf by Saudi Arabia and the UAE and were later adopted by Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. While Bahrain saw diabetes prevalence drop from 19.5% in 2011 to 11.3% in 2021, Oman and Kuwait reported increases over the same period. Health experts note that while sugar taxes can reduce overall calorie intake, their full impact tends to unfold gradually as part of long-term public health strategies.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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Egypt Independent
10 hours ago
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On Wednesday, 111 international humanitarian organizations called on Israel to end its blockade and agree to a ceasefire, warning that supplies in the enclave are now 'totally depleted' and that humanitarian groups are 'witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.' An Israeli official said at a press briefing on Wednesday that they expect more aid to enter the enclave in the future. 'We would like to see more and more trucks entering Gaza and distributing the aid as long as Hamas is not involved,' the official said. 'As we see for now, Hamas has an interest: First, to put pressure on the State of Israel through the international community in order to (have) an effect in the (ceasefire) negotiation process; and second, to collapse the new mechanism that we have established that is making sure that they are not involved in the aid delivery inside Gaza.' International pressure continues to mount on Israel, including from the United States. And on Monday, the foreign ministers of 25 Western nations slammed Israel for 'drip feeding' aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry said it 'rejects' the statement, calling it 'disconnected from reality.'
