Your next health coach might be your supermarket: Inside the UAE’s wellness retail boom
How grocery retailers, functional food brands and plant-based innovators are reshaping the UAE’s approach to healthier living
20 July, 2026
TT
16
For decades, supermarkets were viewed primarily as places where consumers purchased everyday essentials. Today, they are becoming something far more influential: wellness destinations.
Across the UAE, grocery retailers are expanding their health-focused assortments, introducing dedicated wellness sections, partnering with nutrition-led brands and using their reach to influence how consumers think about food, prevention and long-term wellbeing.
The transformation reflects a major shift in consumer behaviour. Health-conscious purchasing is no longer limited to a small group of fitness enthusiasts or specialised shoppers. Families, young professionals and older consumers are increasingly examining ingredients, reading labels and seeking products that support specific health goals.
Read more-Higher costs, tighter margins: How Hormuz disruptions are testing UAE food supplies
From gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives to probiotic beverages, plant-based foods and functional nutrition products, wellness has moved from the margins of the supermarket to the centre of the shopping experience.
Industry leaders believe this shift represents a fundamental change in the relationship between retailers and consumers. Supermarkets are no longer simply responding to demand, they are actively shaping healthier consumption habits.
Wellness moves from niche category to everyday shopping decision
Brian Ballinger, head of Commercial at Choithrams, said the retailer noticed that wellness had evolved significantly from being a specialised category into a mainstream consumer priority.
“Over the years, we have seen wellness move from a specialist purchase to a mainstream consideration,” Ballinger said.
“What was once driven by a small group of health-conscious consumers is now influencing purchasing decisions across families, young professionals, and older shoppers alike.”
According to Ballinger, consumers today are more knowledgeable about nutrition and increasingly want products that offer clear benefits, whether related to dietary requirements, preventative health or overall lifestyle improvement.
This behavioural change convinced retailers that wellness could no longer be treated as a limited shelf segment.
Customers are now actively searching for products that align with individual needs, including gluten-free options, dairy alternatives, plant-based foods and products free from refined sugar.
The result has been a rapid expansion of wellness-focused grocery offerings across the UAE.
The supermarket becomes the new health coach
Choithrams is among the retailers responding to this transformation by significantly expanding its wellness assortment.
The retailer now offers more than 1,000 wellness products, creating a broader ecosystem designed to support different consumer requirements.
Ballinger said the expansion was not driven by a target number but by the need to create a comprehensive destination where consumers could easily discover healthier choices.
“The expansion was driven by customer demand and the growing diversity of wellness needs,” he said.
“Rather than targeting a specific number, the objective was to create a comprehensive destination that could serve multiple customer requirements, from gluten-free and plant-based products to functional foods and better-for-you alternatives.”
The retailer has also focused on improving visibility through dedicated wellness sections, clearer segmentation and partnerships with brands operating in emerging health categories.
The strategy reflects a wider retail shift: making wellness easier to access.
Rather than requiring consumers to visit specialist stores or search extensively for healthier products, supermarkets are bringing these choices directly into everyday shopping routines.
UAE consumers are looking beyond traditional health claims
The definition of wellness itself has changed dramatically.
Five years ago, many consumers associated wellness primarily with dieting, weight loss or a narrow range of health foods. Today, the concept has expanded to include nutrition, mental wellbeing, preventative health and transparency around ingredients.
“Five years ago, wellness was often associated with dieting or a limited range of health foods,” Ballinger said.
“Today, consumers view wellness much more holistically, encompassing nutrition, lifestyle, preventative health, mental wellbeing, and product transparency.”
This evolution has created a more sophisticated consumer base.
Shoppers are no longer automatically influenced by packaging claims or marketing messages. Instead, they are increasingly evaluating ingredients, nutritional value, authenticity and whether products genuinely deliver the benefits they promise.
Ballinger said health considerations remain the biggest factor driving demand for gluten-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar-free products.
However, consumers are also considering taste, quality, brand credibility and affordability before making purchasing decisions.
Gut health becomes the next frontier of wellness
While supermarkets are expanding their wellness categories, food innovators are targeting emerging consumer concerns, particularly digestive health.
Heather Mills, vegan entrepreneur and climate activist, believes the UAE’s growing interest in healthier eating reflects a global movement, but one that is especially visible in the region due to changing dietary awareness.
“I think the trend is a global one and it is probably particularly noticeable in the UAE as the local diet was historically quite sugar-laden and high in saturated fats,” Mills said.
“The education and analysis regarding food composition has improved dramatically and the consumer is now more clued up on what’s good for them and able to demand better from brands.”
Mills said one of the biggest changes has been consumers becoming more aware of how specific foods affect their bodies.
She highlighted the response to her gut-friendly ready meal brand No Bloat, which focuses on supporting consumers dealing with digestive discomfort.
“We have been amazed by the reaction to our new (truly) gut-friendly LOW Fodmap ready meals – www.Nobloat.com,” she said.
“They are solving all kinds of digestive issues for people that had no idea what was causing their discomfort.”
However, Mills warned that consumers need to be careful when evaluating wellness claims, as some products marketed as healthy may not necessarily support individual dietary needs.
She believes future growth in the sector will depend on greater education and transparency.
Social media accelerates the wellness conversation
Another factor influencing consumer behaviour is the rise of online health and lifestyle content.
Mills said social media has played a complicated but important role in accelerating wellness awareness.
While she acknowledged that some online trends can create unrealistic expectations, she said digital platforms have also helped spread positive information about nutrition and lifestyle improvements.
“Don’t get me wrong, ‘aspiration’ culture caused by a glut of lifestyle content creation can be a very damaging thing in terms of false messaging and a lack of authenticity in approach,” Mills said.
“But it does also enable some positive messaging to be conveyed around lifestyle adjustments and healthy pursuits that consumers can adhere to.”
For brands operating in the wellness space, this increased awareness represents a significant opportunity, but also a responsibility to provide credible information.
Functional beverages become the gateway to healthier habits
Alongside food products, functional beverages have emerged as one of the fastest-growing areas of wellness consumption.
Vincent Vandenabeele, founder of Saba Plant-Based, entered the UAE market in 2019 with a focus on plant-based fermented foods and drinks.
At the time, he identified an opportunity to introduce products combining nutrition, convenience and gut health benefits.
“When we launched Saba Plant-Based in 2019, we saw a significant shift in consumer awareness around health, nutrition, and ingredient transparency,” Vandenabeele said.
He said the UAE market was increasingly open to products that supported everyday wellness while fitting modern lifestyles.
Functional beverages, including probiotic drinks, kombucha, kefir and fermented beverages, have become particularly attractive because they require minimal behavioural change.
“Functional beverages have become the entry point for wellness adoption because they are one of the easiest and most convenient ways for people to incorporate health-supporting habits into their daily lives,” Vandenabeele said.
Unlike supplements or major dietary changes, a functional drink can replace an existing beverage while introducing consumers to wellness benefits.
The future belongs to personalised wellness
Vandenabeele believes gut health remains one of the most promising but underdeveloped areas within the wellness sector.
“I think gut health is still one of the most underexplored areas, despite the growing awareness around it,” he said.
While consumers are becoming familiar with terms such as probiotics and fermentation, he believes there is still significant room for education around the relationship between gut health, immunity, digestion and mental wellbeing.
He also expects demand to increase for products made with simple, recognisable ingredients and fewer artificial additives.
For Saba Plant-Based, the opportunity lies in combining traditional food practices with modern nutritional understanding.
Retailers become partners in the UAE’s health journey
The rise of wellness-focused supermarkets reflects a broader transformation in the UAE’s food landscape.
Retailers now influence not only what consumers buy but also how they understand nutrition and wellbeing.
Ballinger believes supermarkets have a unique responsibility because of their daily interaction with millions of consumers.
“Retailers have a unique opportunity to influence everyday consumption habits at scale,” he said.
At Choithrams, he said wellness is built around three pillars: assortment, education and community engagement.
Through wellness destinations, awareness campaigns, partnerships and events, retailers can help consumers discover healthier options and make more informed choices.
As the UAE continues to prioritise wellbeing and preventive health, supermarkets are becoming increasingly important players in that mission.
Doctors will continue to guide consumers through medical challenges, but when it comes to everyday habits, the food people choose, the ingredients they trust and the products they place in their shopping carts, the supermarket aisle is becoming one of the most powerful wellness influencers in the country.
