Ministry of Economy reviews latest consumer protection measures and strategies for price monitoring & stability ahead of Ramadan

Sultan Darwish: UAE’s consumer protection system continues to evolve, with the Ministry strengthening price regulation and market transparency

The Ministry of Economy held a media briefing on February 25, 2025, highlighting its preparations, alongside its partners, for the holy month of Ramadan. During the briefing, key updates on market stabilisation efforts, consumer protection measures, and efforts to improve price control for goods, products and services in the UAE were shared by the ministry.

Sultan Ahmed Darwish, Director of Consumer Protection and Commercial Control at the Ministry of Economy, highlighted the UAE’s commitment to strengthening its consumer protection laws and regulations to guarantee the highest standards of fairness and stability in the market, in line with best global practices. He emphasised that to guarantee a secure and transparent consumer environment for purchasing goods and services, the ministry collaborates closely with federal and local government entities, especially the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, as well as with the private sector, cooperatives and other key stakeholders.

Darwish further highlighted the UAE’s efforts to enhance market transparency and offer a safe consumer environment. He said that the country has implemented several legislative measures such as the Federal Decree-Law No. (5) of 2023, which amends the Consumer Protection Law and its executive rules. This decree was one of the key factors that enhanced consumer protection, strengthened regulatory monitoring, maintained a fair supplier-customer relationship, and gave consumers additional rights and guarantees. The executive regulations established extensive regulatory mechanisms to encourage ethical commercial practices and highlighted over 43 supplier requirements.

He continued, “The new pricing policy for essential consumer goods, along with associated regulations, are fundamental pillars for price control in local markets. According to this policy, increase in prices for nine key consumer goods — cooking oil, eggs, dairy products, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread and wheat —are only permitted with prior approval from the Ministry and relevant authorities. However, other products are subject to market demand and competition.”

Darwish emphasised that the implementation of the pricing policy has been further reinforced by three ministerial decisions – consumer goods sector code of conduct, essential consumer goods price monitoring decision and unit pricing policy. These steps aim to improve price control methods, strengthen market transparency, improve cooperation between the Ministry and local authorities, and guarantee fair competition between suppliers and retailers.

He stated, “The Ministry and its partners took a significant step to strengthen regulatory control by launching ‘National Digital Platform for Commodity Price Monitoring.’ The platform enables tracking of commodities’ prices in real time across major retail shops and cooperative societies across the country. To ensure fair price comparison and compliance verification against the Ministry’s defined pricing cap, it provides Ministry officials and relevant local entities with real-time data on the costs of essential products across various regions. This protects customers against unauthorised price hikes or commercial exploitation, further ensuring the seamless implementation of the government’s pricing regulations.”

Intensive regulatory efforts to monitor markets during the holy month of Ramadan

During his speech, Darwish stated that 8,388 violations were identified during in 80,249 inspection trips that Ministry teams and departments of economic development conducted nationwide in 2024. In January and February of 2025, the Ministry’s team also took 768 inspection tours and 420 more rounds are planned for the holy month of Ramadan. This action guarantees that retailers comply with pricing policies and avoid making irrational price increases in response to seasonal demand.

Darwish further added that in order to guarantee the availability of products and adherence with new pricing policies for essential products, the Minister held meetings with over 60 major retail stores nationwide during 2024 and the beginning of 2025. He further highlighted that Abu Dhabi merchants import more than 6,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables daily, while the Al Aweer Central Fruits and Vegetables Market in Dubai imports at least 15,000 tonnes. This reflects a commitment to securing food supplies in local markets and ensuring their sustainability during peak seasons, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Large-scale Discount Campaigns to Support Consumers during the Holy Month

To enhance the purchasing power of consumers, Darwish stated that product and item discounts have increased to about 65 per cent. This includes 5,500 products at major retail stores with branches across all emirates, for a total of over 600 major retail stores. Over 10,000 products were included in the promotional offers for Ramadan 2025, with the total value of these discounts at a cooperative society standing at AED 35 million.

Consumer's Role in Supporting the Market Stability

Furthermore, Darwish shed light on the Ministry’s commitment to increasing consumer awareness and encouraging sustainable consumption practices. He further highlighted that there were 1,891 complaints received through the e-services platform to resolve consumer concerns in 2024, with more than 93 per cent of complaints addressed successfully within the specified timeframe. Customers were encouraged to report any violations related to price, misleading promotions or breach of consumer protection by calling 8001222 or getting in touch with local departments, which are the Ministry’s official communication channels.

At the conclusion of the briefing, Darwish reaffirmed the Ministry of Economy’s commitment to constantly collaborate with its partners to enhance the environment for consumer protection, maintain market stability and provide fair purchasing opportunities for all societal members. This is in line with a goal to ensure transparency, competitiveness, and sustainability to foster stability and growth in the UAE’s consumer environment.