As part of the ongoing national initiative to promote awareness of healthy lifestyle in the community, the Ministry of Health and Prevention represented by the Health Education and Promotion Department in the Health Centers and Clinics Sector has actually introduced in a press conference the 'Healthy Restaurant' initiative in various emirates. The press conference was participated in by H.E. Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Centers and Clinics Sector; Dr. Fadila Sharif, Director of Health Education and; Nouf Khamis Al Ali, Head of Section for Health Promotion Program and Tobacco Control and representatives from financial and local departments and dining establishments associated with the effort.

Dr. Al Rand stated the initiative is in line with the Ministry's tactical objectives to promote healthy lifestyles in the UAE. The Ministry intends to promote healthy eating routines amongst members of the neighborhood through the advancement of relevant legislations and laws to decrease the occurrence of non-communicable diseases.

In line with the initiative, the Ministry is also motivating restaurants owners to provide healthy choices to their customers to increase access to healthy food, and empower them to make healthy options. H.E. also thanked all local and national authorities and organizations supporting the effort such as the economic departments, various municipalities, and participating restaurants.

For her part, Dr. Sharif emphasized that the effort's goals are to empower people making healthy food options and motivate restaurants to provide well balanced meals by enhancing the nutritional value of their food choices through sticking to a number of necessary and optional criteria. This includes offering at least 2 healthier meals and a different healthy food menu for kids.

According to Dr. Sharif, the Ministry conducted 3 workshops with dining establishments in April 2015 to notify them about the initiative and its functions. Upon the adoption of the effort, the affiliated facilities will be licensed as healthy restaurants by the Ministry of Health and Prevention. The Ministry will release a media project in the middle of this month, which includes radio advertisements and promotional messages by means of social media and other online platforms to promote the initiative and the list of healthy restaurants in the nation.

Aid the getting involved restaurants to provide healthy food products. The system is threefold; it will include random assessments, clients' examination, and regular data submission by the getting involved restaurants .