Dubai Municipality has unveiled the “My School Food” platform, a new initiative aimed at improving the quality of school meals and promoting nutritional awareness among students.
The program is part of a broader set of measures designed to elevate food safety standards and modernize nutrition systems across the emirate’s educational institutions, while enhancing the resilience of food supply chains through technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Introduced during the 19th Dubai International Food Safety Conference, the platform will benefit over 400,000 students in more than 500 schools, nurseries, and universities, along with 50+ school food suppliers.
A key feature is an AI-powered assistant named “Ghalia”, which provides instant guidance on food safety, balanced nutrition, and waste reduction based on municipality-approved data and standards.
The initiative reinforces Dubai’s ambition to be a global leader in future-ready food safety systems, introducing stricter nutritional guidelines that include calorie calculations, portion control, age-specific meal planning, clear labelling, and quantity regulations.
The platform promotes nutrient-dense diets, higher fiber intake, reduced sugar consumption, adequate hydration, and regulated caffeine intake.
Additional protocols address hygiene, allergy management, and institutional food safety requirements for educational facilities.
To strengthen the food sector, Dubai Municipality has partnered with Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) to streamline compliance procedures for major food companies and unify inspection processes.
The collaboration aims to create more flexible supply chains, accelerate food product clearance, and bolster public health safeguards.
Several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) have also been signed with government bodies, private companies, and academic institutions to support food security, sustainability, and digital innovation.
Key agreements include: • Jafza: Simplifying regulatory requirements for major food companies, improving inspection efficiency, and expediting market access for food imports. • Ecolab UAE: Enhancing water and food safety systems and developing sustainable regulatory solutions using advanced technologies and AI. • Canadian University Dubai & Manipal Academy of Higher Education – Dubai: Collaborating on research, AI-driven tools for data analysis, risk assessment, regulatory enforcement, and launching specialized training programs for youth.
Through these efforts, Dubai Municipality aims to create a safer, healthier, and more technologically advanced food ecosystem across its educational institutions.
