The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to develop a regulatory framework for novel foods. This initiative aims to establish a streamlined registration system for new food products, reduce registration periods by up to nine months, and unify registration requirements for halal certification and production/import permits. The framework will also include a national database of approved food products and detailed technical and regulatory guidelines.

The new framework will introduce a science-based risk assessment approach and update the halal certification system to align with global standards, boosting national food export competitiveness. This effort is part of a broader push to advance sustainable food security in the UAE, attract high-value investments in advanced agriculture and biotechnology, and position Abu Dhabi as a global leader in food innovation. Recent partnerships, such as the one with sustainable protein producers The EVERY Company and Vivici, further reinforce this commitment to accelerating the adoption of advanced solutions and driving economic growth in the region.