In Video: Reem Al-Faleh: 'Calories' Initiative Enhances Food Transparency and Community Health

Nada Abunasser: Dr. Reem Al-Faleh, Minister of State for Development and Sustainability Affairs, confirmed that the “Calories” initiative launched by the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition represents a national step to enhance food transparency and empower consumers to make more informed dietary choices, thereby supporting community health and the sustainability of the country’s food system.

Speaking on the occasion of the initiative’s launch, titled “With Calories, Your Menu Is Clearer and Trust Is Greater,” Dr. Al-Faleh stated that developing a sustainable food system goes beyond ensuring food availability; it also involves improving consumption patterns and strengthening prevention efforts to mitigate the health, social, and economic impacts associated with diseases resulting from unhealthy dietary habits. She added that the growing trend of dining out and the widespread use of food ordering and delivery applications have made it increasingly important to provide consumers with clear nutritional information at the point of decision-making. She noted that the initiative reinforces the concept of an informed consumer capable of making decisions based on clear and reliable information.

Dr. Al-Faleh explained that the initiative is based on Gulf Standard GSO 2604:2024 regarding the disclosure of calorie information on menus of food establishments serving food to consumers outside the home, reflecting Kuwait’s commitment to implementing relevant Gulf practices and standards concerning public health and nutrition. She noted that the initiative currently relies on the voluntary participation of food establishments, operating through partnership, technical support, training, monitoring, and evaluation within a unified scientific framework.

She emphasized that public trust in the food system is built on transparency, accuracy, and scientific evidence, stressing the importance of ensuring that nutritional information provided to consumers is clear, reliable, and verifiable. Dr. Al-Faleh stated that the role of the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition extends beyond regulation and legal enforcement to include prevention, awareness, technical support, and building partnerships with the food sector, thereby achieving a balance between protecting consumer health and supporting the sector’s development and sustainability.

She affirmed that the initiative reflects Kuwait’s direction toward developing practical and modern tools in public health and nutrition, and building a measurable and scalable national model that enhances public trust in the food system and solidifies the food sector’s responsibility toward consumer health and quality of life.

For her part, Dr. Shaima Al-Asfour, Acting Director General of the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, stated that the “With Calories, Your Menu Is Clearer and Trust Is Greater” initiative will be implemented voluntarily in its first phase. The experience will be evaluated based on clear and measurable performance indicators, with the results used to develop and expand the initiative in the future.

Dr. Al-Asfour explained that a participating establishment’s journey begins with electronic registration, followed by training and technical support, then the actual implementation of calorie display. Technical evaluation is conducted to verify compliance with requirements, and establishments meeting the criteria are included in the dedicated list for the initiative, with ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation.

She noted that registering for the initiative or attending training does not automatically grant approval, nor does it constitute a comprehensive endorsement of all data provided by the establishment. The displayed information is subject to review and technical evaluation, including the methodology for calculating calories, information sources, portion sizes, and menu formats.

She added that the guideline prepared by the Authority outlines the scientific methods available for calculating calories and the mechanisms for displaying them for each dish or meal based on actual ingredients, portion size, additions, and alternatives. It adopts an acceptable margin of error not exceeding ±20% of the calculated value, in accordance with the initiative’s technical framework.

The guideline also includes disclosure of food allergens and displays an advisory statement regarding the average daily requirement for adults, set at 2,000 calories, while emphasizing that daily needs vary according to age, gender, activity level, and individual conditions.

Dr. Al-Asfour clarified that the initiative’s scope voluntarily covers restaurants, cafes, local and international restaurant chains, ice cream and juice shops, bakeries, confectionery stores, cafeterias, central kitchens providing ready-to-eat meals, as well as food ordering and delivery platforms and digital menus.

She stressed that evaluating the initiative’s success will not be limited to the number of registered establishments. It will also include the conversion rates from registration to actual implementation, the pass rates for technical evaluations, the level of accuracy and clarity in information display, the rates of addressing non-compliance cases, as well as measuring consumer awareness and the extent to which they benefit from the provided information.