Food delivery company Talabat will provide data on public orders to health authorities in an effort to improve healthy eating by seeking a better understanding of eating habits.
Talabat will pass on information to Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre to include analysis of eating habits per area.
The data will not be monetised and will be transferred freely to enable the ADPHC to better understand how much junk food is being consumed.
It is hoped the results taken from food deliveries across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain will encourage more healthy eating campaigns, where required.
While food mapping patterns will be logged, personal data will not be shared in line with data protection regulations.
“The collaboration with Talabat will map the healthy eating habits and help us understand the eating demography of the Abu Dhabi population,” said Matar Saeed Al Nuaimi, director general of ADPHC.
“This aligns with our vision towards a healthy, safe society by consolidating the efforts of various stakeholders in the ecosystem to ensure access to healthy foods and promote more informed and educated dietary choices.”
In 2019, the UAE launched the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031, a comprehensive plan aimed at further improving the quality of life through a number of policies.
Restaurants and food outlets will soon be mandated to display the calorie content of meals, to encourage diners to make informed choices about their diet.
In August, ADPHC launched the Sehhi nutrition programme across Lulu Hypermarkets in the capital to help cut obesity rates.
The Sehhi logo on healthy food items aims to nudge shoppers towards better dietary choices and includes foods low in fat, sugar and salt, but high in fibre.
Regional data compiled by the World Obesity Federation in 2020 found 31 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men in the UAE were obese.
Tatiana Rahal, managing director of Talabat UAE, said the new partnership with ADPHC would continue the push towards a healthier society.
“As a tech company, we are grateful to be in a position to help drive positive change in the communities we serve,” she said.
“By providing ADPHC with data to understand customer-ordering patterns and tailor their efforts accordingly, we are able to combine our expertise to create a larger impact.”
