The UAE’s largest export is crude oil. You cannot convince me that its largest import ISN’T olive oil. I’ve never seen so much olive oil in one place before. Is this why there’s an olive oil shortage going on? 

With premium packaging and price tags that nearly gave me a heart attack. Those bottles with the colorful sardines and the tentacles are around US$50 for half a liter.  I know EVOO is expensive, but damn!  

I suppose this is what supermarkets need to look like when the bulk of food – and population – are from outside a country. The UAE imports 85-90% of its food – with good reason: only 0.7% of its land is arable and water is a limited resource. In addition to that, expats account for nearly 90% of the country’s population.

In most markets, the bulk of F&B products is local: produce, brands, flavors. They anchor identity and drive loyalty. But what happens when local doesn't exist in any traditional sense? Growth in the market is driven by an expanding expat population – basically, more people from more places needing more things from other places.

You could think of UAE supermarkets in this context as cultural mediators. They create retail experiences that acknowledge radical diversity without trying to flatten it. International foods aren’t tucked away in a separate corner, but instead have entire sections devoted to different countries and cultures.

Just because most food is imported doesn't mean local brands aren't emerging. In fact, some of the most interesting innovations I saw came from UAE-based startups that are translating global food trends into products tailored for Emiratis.

Take Freakin' Awesome, for example, a brand making peanut butter-filled dates. Dates are one of the few things the region actually grows, and this brand is using them as a carrier for wellness positioning, including natural sugars and clean ingredients. This reminds me of the very popular TikTok trend where people were filling dates with peanut butter and coating them in chocolate to essentially get a better-for-you Snickers.

Then there’s Frio’s sparkling mineral water flavored with fruit extracts and proudly made in Dubai. No sugar or calories, which works perfectly well for the new move against sugar-sweetened beverages. On 1 January 2026, the UAE’s new sugar-based excise tax structure came into effect. This means that instead of taxing drinks (RTDs, concentrates, powders, syrups) based on price, excise tax will depend on how much sugar or sweetener (esp caloric ones, like honey) there is. Drinks with only zero-cal artificial sweeteners will be exempt from excise tax, while energy drinks still have to pay 100% (tough luck, guys). Low/no sugar drinks are going to take over the shelves soon. 

Sugar-free or low-sugar versions of the major cola drinks at least took up more space than the regular versions at Carrefour shelves, and even store brand fresh juices called out “no added sugar” on the front of pack.

CaféMiel has a range that incorporates coffee with whipped Balqees Honey, a major Middle Eastern raw honey brand. You can just take a spoon of the product and add it to hot water to make a coffee drink.

Chocolate brands Plaay and Nature’s Own Factory operate in the BFY space. Plaay’s truffles are said to be 100% clean label and nutrient dense, with whey protein, prebiotic inulin fiber, and probiotics (Bacillus coagulans, 1.25 billion CFU). Nature's Own Factory’s range of chocolate includes buckwheat seeds and various functional benefits – and are low in calories.

Staying with chocolate, Hayakom has taken the Dubai chocolate craze and has extended it to a range of very interesting filled chocolate bars. They have different flavors, many of which are traditional Middle Eastern desserts, and have positioned some of them for different occasions as well.  

Private label used to mean cheap. Generic packaging, lower price point, “good enough” quality. Right now, many consumers have turned to private label to better manage their shrinking budgets. And store brands are responding with better improved, on-trend offerings. 

But in some of the UAE’s supermarkets, private label is competing with premium imports on design, positioning, and shelf presence. The packaging doesn't scream “store brand” at all. They look clean, sophisticated, and in some cases more appealing than the name-brand alternatives.

This matters because it shows retailers using design and positioning to compete with global brands on their own terms. In a market where nearly everything is imported and brand loyalty isn't necessarily tied to legacy or nostalgia, store brands have a real shot at premium territory when they offer quality and value. 

Spinneys had private label versions of so many different categories, and the retailer’s financial statements call out how their private label has contributed significantly to their earnings, pointing specifically to their new premium private label range, Discovery by Spinneys. I was especially fascinated by their store brand options for plant-based meat.

There were so many spreads – even from some brands that one doesn’t traditionally associate with spreads.

Mr Beast’s beef jerky line in collaboration with Jack Links was a fun find. It’s not new but it was curious to see especially after that whole incident where he toured Upside Foods cultivated meat facility, tasted their product, said nice things, and annoyed a bunch of people who accused him of being a shill for the alt meat industry.

And last but not least, here is UK-based Bold Bean Co, which really stands out for switching from the boring old tinned cans for their beans to glass bottles. It’s made beans – often seen as a boring, last-resort option – kind of premium. Add to that the nutrition angles of plant-based and high-fiber as well as some clean label cues, and you’ve made beans very popular with Gen Zs and Millennials. Such an elegant solution! 

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