ABSTRACT Nutrition labeling is a critical dietary tool; however, the potential benefits and significant challenges persist in translating nutrition labeling into meaningful behavior change. Therefore, this review critically appraises the evidence of consumer knowledge and practices regarding nutrition labeling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) food environment, particularly across retail settings where packaged foods and front-of-pack nutrition information are commonly encountered by consumers. A comprehensive search on consumer awareness and use of nutrition labeling in the UAE was conducted via Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, covering publications up to September 2025. The modified PICOS framework was used in the screening and final selection of eligible articles from the initial search results. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Ten research articles investigating consumer knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding nutrition labeling were included. This analysis reveals significant gaps between nutrition label awareness and practical utilization in the UAE food environment. While awareness levels are generally high, actual consistent usage remains low. In addition, moderate nutritional literacy was observed, with approximately 42% showing moderate awareness and only 21% demonstrating high knowledge levels in some studies. Inadequate health literacy, financial constraints, and design complexity limited effective food label use. Consumer behavior patterns reveal a strong preference to read expiry dates over nutritional content, with non-health factors, such as taste and price, often outweighing nutritional considerations. Moreover, education level and age positively correlated with nutrition labeling usage. Nevertheless, public support for mandatory labeling policies was high. The observed detachment between the apparent recognition of a food label and its actual utilization in the UAE food context suggests major problems, including insufficient health knowledge, the label complexity, and preference.
Alkaabi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.