Dubai Smart Food Choices for Schools: Green, Amber, Red & Black

Every menu item a caterer supplies to a private school in Dubai has to fit Dubai Municipality's Smart Choices classification, often called the Smart Food Choices system. The tier decides whether an item can be on the canteen menu every day, twice a week, once a month, or never.

This guide covers the four tiers under their official names, the nutrient limits published in the Dubai Food and Nutrition Guidelines and Requirements in Educational Institutions, and a practical way to calculate a menu item's values and check it before you submit your menu.

Key Takeaways

The guideline defines four tiers: Daily Smart Choices (Green), Sometimes Smart Choices (Amber), Seldom Smart Choices (Red) and Never Smart Choices (Black). The second tier is officially Amber, even though some news coverage calls it yellow.
Menu items are checked against published limits for energy, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, added sugars and dietary fibre, both per serving and per 100 g.
Per-serving limits are adjusted by age group and kind of menu item, from 40% (snacks for 4 to 8 year olds) to 130% (full meal combos for 14 to 18 year olds).
Red items may be served 3 times every term or once per month. Black items must never be made available in any form.
Nutrition values must come from the recipe and be revalidated whenever ingredients, proportions or serving sizes change.
The guideline lists nine allergen groups that must be labelled or declared on the menu.

What the Smart Choices Classification Is

The classification is set out in clause 3.3.2.1 of the Dubai Food and Nutrition Guidelines and Requirements in Educational Institutions. The document was prepared by the Applied Nutrition and Awareness Section of Dubai Municipality's Food Safety Department and revises DM's 2016 school guidelines. It underpins My School Food, the municipality's school nutrition program. The copy on the My School Food portal has a cover date of 2 August 2024, so check the portal for later revisions before relying on specific values.

The guideline applies to food suppliers and canteens serving private school students aged 4 to 18. It also covers vending machines, student cafés, events and fundraisers, and canteens in nurseries, universities and colleges. Prepared, ready-to-eat and pre-packaged foods are all included. "Shall" and "must" mark mandatory requirements, and "should" marks strongly recommended ones.

A note on names: a September 2025 Dubai Municipality news release and some press coverage say green, yellow, red and black. The guideline itself uses Amber, and that is the term to use on menus, signage and in staff training.

The Four Tiers at a Glance

Colour	Official name	Frequency on the canteen menu	Examples given in the guideline
Green	Daily Smart Choices	Always on the menu	Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, low fat dairy, healthy fats, water
Amber	Sometimes Smart Choices (Basic Amber)	Twice a week	Muffins without frosting, baked savoury snacks such as crackers, full fat yogurt and laban
Light Amber	Sometimes Smart + Choices	Once a week, alongside basic Sometimes options, in smaller portions	Whole-wheat baked goods without frosting, low-fat yogurt with fruit
Red	Seldom Smart Choices	Once a month (see below)	Baked goods with frosting, baked donuts, ice cream
Black	Never Smart Choices	Not allowed as an ingredient or menu item	Non-halal products, added protein supplements, artificial sweeteners, deep-fried food, confectionery, sugary drinks, energy drinks, processed meats

Green and Amber

Daily items are described as highly nutritious and low in saturated fat, added sugars and sodium. The guideline recommends placing them at eye level in the main serving area. Basic Amber items are moderately healthy but may be slightly higher in added sugars, saturated fat or sodium, and should not be placed at eye level or beside Green choices.

Sometimes Smart + (Light Amber) items sit closer to Green and may use whole grains, vegetables, healthy fats or fruit as the main ingredient (50%). The guideline says they may have one more nutrient at amber values on the per-100 g criteria (other than total fat and sodium), whereas basic Sometimes items may have two more.

Red: Seldom Smart Choices

Red items are restricted treats. The tier description gives a frequency of once a month. Clause 3.3.2.5 adds that items exceeding the nutrient criteria and falling under Red "shall be served 3 times every term or once per month". The guideline recommends serving them outside the main serving area or on designated treat days, in smaller portions.

Clause 3.4.2 lists Restricted Foods that may not be displayed, sold or promoted unless approved under the classification. The list includes high-fat or high-sodium packaged savoury snacks, sugary bakery products, high-salt foods and condiments, high-fat dressings, desserts and caffeinated drinks. Each has conditional exemptions. For example, a savoury snack must be limited to 40 grams, not deep-fried, a source of fibre, and low or medium in fat and sodium. A bakery product must be limited to 60 grams with no frosting or icing.

Black: Never Smart Choices

Never items must not be made available in any form or at any event (clause 3.3.2.6). Clause 3.4.3 lists the following with no exemptions:

artificial sweeteners and salt substitutes
foods or drinks with added protein supplements
non-halal foods, including at staff and parent events
processed meats such as deli meats, hot dogs, mortadella, and commercially processed burgers and nuggets
confectionery
highly sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, sports drinks and flavoured water

Chocolate is allowed only as 200 ml chocolate milk or hot chocolate that is low in added sugars, or as cacao in baked goods based on fruit, vegetables or legumes. Deep-fried foods are allowed only if baked instead and low in fat or sodium.

Vending machines must not sell Seldom or Never items (clause 3.4.4). Other food access points, including staff areas, events and after-school programs, must include nothing from those tiers (clause 3.4.5).

The Published Nutrient Limits

Clause 3.3.2.2 requires each menu item to comply with the criteria for calories, total fat, saturated fat, added sugars, sodium and fibre. The same table appears in Annex 16.

Nutrient	Green per serving	Amber per serving	Red per serving	Green per 100 g	Amber per 100 g	Red per 100 g
Energy	500	600	> 600	120	500	> 500
Total fat	19.5	23	> 23	3	17.5	> 17.5
Saturated fat	5	6	> 6	1.5	5	> 5
Sodium	600	700	> 700	120	600	> 600
Added sugars	6.75	9	> 9	5.75	11.25	> 11.25
Dietary fibre	2.8	2.52	< 2.52	3	2	< 2

Source: Smart Choices Nutrient Criteria Table, clause 3.3.2.2 and Annex 16. The table does not print units. Energy is normally read in kilocalories (the unit in the guideline's labelling clause), fat, sugars and fibre in grams, and sodium in milligrams. For borderline items, confirm with DM's Applied Nutrition and Awareness Section at nutrition@dm.gov.ae.

For energy, fats, sodium and added sugars, the Green and Amber columns are ceilings, and anything above the Amber value is Red. Fibre works the other way: less fibre moves an item towards Red.

Per Serving and Per 100 g Both Count

Clause 3.3.2.3 requires the criteria to be met both per 100 grams and per serving, with the per-serving baseline adjusted for the kind of menu item and the age group. The guideline's Annex 18 infographic describes restricted items as those that exceed the amber criteria per 100 g and/or per serving. Check every nutrient on both bases.

Age-Group Percentages

Clause 3.3.2.4 sets the percentages applied to the per-serving criteria for schools:

Age group	Main dish	Main dish combo	Full meal combo	Entrée snacks	Snacks
4-8 years (Small)	70%	80%	100%	40%	40%
9-13 years (Medium)	90%	100%	120%	70%	70%
14-18 years / University (Large)	100%	110%	130%	Not listed	Not listed

A separate table covers nurseries. The percentages are applied through the Supply Food To Educational Institutions Form once the kind of menu item is selected. As we read it, a main dish for 4 to 8 year olds would be assessed against 70% of the per-serving baseline, which is 350 for Green energy. Treat the form as the authority.

Food Types and Beverages

Clause 3.3.1.3 sets item weight limits: 40 g for pre-packaged products, 60 g for bakery and dessert items, 100 g for other savoury foods, and no fixed limit for catered mains. Drinks must meet the Simplified Beverage Criteria in Annex 17. For example, school juices are 200 ml of 100% juice with no added sugars, and plain water has no volume restriction. Coffee and tea may be served only to G11-12 / Y12-13 students, up to 240 ml, in a designated area.

Clause 3.2.2.5 requires nutrition to be assessed from the recipe, including ingredients and quantities. Clause 3.2.2.7 allows nutrient analysis software, a DM-approved laboratory, or manual calculation from known ingredient values. The procedure below works for a manual calculation or for checking your software's output.

Step 1: Define the Menu Item

Record the kind of menu item (main dish, combo, entrée snack, snack or beverage), its food type, serving size and age group. For mains and combos, each component (protein, grains, vegetables, side) is declared per 100 g before the item is evaluated as a whole.

Step 2: Standardise the Recipe by Weight

List every ingredient in grams as used, including cooking oil, sauces, stock and seasoning. Estimated oil and salt are the most common cause of misclassification.

Step 3: Calculate Batch Totals

For each ingredient, multiply its nutrient value per 100 g by the grams used and divide by 100. Add the results to get batch totals for all six nutrients of concern.

Step 4: Convert to Per 100 g Using the Finished Weight

Weigh the cooked batch. Divide each total by the finished weight and multiply by 100. Cooking changes weight, so raw weights misstate the concentration.

Step 5: Calculate Per Serving

Multiply each per-100 g value by the serving weight and divide by 100.

Step 6: Compare Against Both Criteria Tables

Check each nutrient against the per-100 g table and the age-adjusted per-serving criteria, then against the Restricted and Never lists and the weight limits. Because Light Amber depends on how many nutrients reach amber values, check all six, not just calories.

Hypothetical example: a vegetable pasta bake batch contains 6,000 mg of sodium and weighs 5,000 g cooked. That is 120 mg per 100 g, and 300 mg in a 250 g serving. The per-100 g value equals the Green figure of 120, and the per-serving value is below the 600 baseline. Repeat for the other five nutrients before assigning a tier.

Step 7: Revalidate When Anything Changes

Nutrition information must be revalidated and re-approved when ingredients, proportions or serving sizes change (clause 3.2.2.6). Reformulated items are approved only at the end of each term, for the following term (clause 3.2.2.3). Menus rotate at least four weekly cycles, submitted in 4-week batches (clause 3.3.1.1).

Labelling, Allergens and Monitoring

Clause 3.4.8 requires each menu item sold on the premises to be verified and labelled per serving for calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. A fuller panel, per serving and per 100 g, adds fibre, protein, total fat, vitamin D and iron.

Clause 3.4.9 requires allergens to be labelled or declared on the menu no matter how small the amount. It lists nine groups, each including their products: crustaceans, peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts, sesame, fish, egg, milk, and gluten-containing cereals. Pre-packaged foods must also meet UAE labelling rules; see our UAE food labelling guide.

Under clause 3.5.2, the food supplier's person-in-charge carries out canteen self-monitoring monthly and the school's person-in-charge quarterly. In a September 2025 release, Dubai Municipality said its inspectors cover 456 educational institutions a year. Annex 20 also sets a phased schedule of red, amber and green targets running to the 2027-2028 academic year, shifting menus towards Green items.

Keeping Classifications Accurate with RecipeBuilder

The hard part is keeping per-serving and per-100 g values right across a rotating four-week menu. A new supplier, a different oil or a larger scoop can move an item from Green to Amber without anyone noticing. RecipeBuilder calculates nutrition at recipe level from your ingredient weights and serving sizes. You can check each item against the published limits and recalculate when a recipe changes.

Check Your Canteen Menu Against the Smart Choices Limits

RecipeBuilder calculates nutrition from USDA FoodData Central data, gives per-serving and per-100g values, records allergen declarations and produces bilingual English/Arabic labels, so you can check each menu item against Dubai Municipality's published criteria before you submit. Book a call to walk through your school menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the second Smart Choices tier yellow or amber?

Dubai Municipality's guideline names it Sometimes Smart Choices (Amber), with a Sometimes Smart + (Light Amber) sub-level. Some news releases and press coverage say yellow, but the guideline uses Amber, so use that on menus and signage.

How often can Red (Seldom Smart Choices) items be served?

Clause 3.3.2.5 says Red items shall be served 3 times every term or once per month, and the tier description gives once a month. Red items must not be sold in vending machines or at other food access points such as events.

Do the Smart Choices limits apply per serving or per 100 g?

Both. Clause 3.3.2.3 requires items to meet the criteria per 100 grams and per serving, with the per-serving baseline adjusted by age group and kind of menu item. Exceeding amber values on either basis makes an item restricted.

Which allergens must be declared on Dubai school canteen menus?

The guideline lists nine allergen groups: crustaceans, peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts, sesame, fish, egg, milk and gluten-containing cereals, each including their products. They must be labelled or declared on the menu however small the amount.