Visualized: Inside the UAE’s Food Imports

Published

October 23, 2026 7:49 am

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Ryan Bellefontaine

Design

Akhila Ayyalasomayajula

A treemap chart showing UAE food imports by category in 2025, led by frozen meat at 17.9% of import value.

A Closer Look at the UAE’s Food Imports

Key Takeaways

Frozen meat leads the UAE’s food imports at 17.9% of import value in 2025.
Together, frozen meat, fruits and nuts, dairy products, and vegetables represent 46.9% of food import value. However, refrigeration needs vary by product.
Dubai Food District aims to connect food trade, storage, processing, and distribution within one integrated ecosystem.

The UAE’s food import basket spans everything from frozen meat to coffee, grains, and confectionery. In turn, this variety creates different storage and handling needs along the supply chain.

This graphic, in partnership with DP World, shows the UAE’s 2025 food imports by category using data from IHS Markit.

A Diverse Food Import Basket

A few leading categories account for almost half of food import value. Meanwhile, the remaining categories reveal the breadth of the UAE’s food supply.

Here is a table that shows the UAE’s food imports by category and share of import value in 2025.

Rank	Food category	Share of food import value
1	Frozen meat	17.9%
2	Fruits & nuts	16.7%
3	Packaged food	13.5%
4	Dairy products	8.3%
5	Grains & grain products	6.6%
6	Coffee & tea	5.7%
7	Cooking oils	5.0%
8	Chocolate & confectionery	4.2%
9	Sugar	4.1%
10	Vegetables	4.0%
—	All other food categories	13.8%

By value, frozen meat leads at 17.9%, followed by fruits and nuts at 16.7% and packaged food at 13.5%. Together, these three categories account for 48.2% of food import value.

Beyond these leaders, dairy products contribute 8.3%, while grains and grain products represent 6.6%. All other food categories collectively account for 13.8%.

For instance, the remainder includes spices, beverages, beans, lentils, and chickpeas. This grouping captures smaller categories rather than a single food type.

Keeping Food Fresh From Origin to Shelf

Four categories together represent 46.9% of food import value: frozen meat, fruits and nuts, dairy products, and vegetables. However, their exact refrigeration requirements vary by product.

This combined share highlights the importance of specialized handling, rather than measuring the precise proportion requiring refrigeration. Maintaining appropriate storage and transport conditions helps preserve food quality throughout the journey.

Bringing Food Trade Together

The Dubai Food District aims to bring food trade, logistics, storage, processing, and distribution together in one ecosystem. For example, DP World’s plans include cold stores, temperature-controlled warehousing, and processing facilities.

By connecting global sourcing with specialized infrastructure, the district aims to support different food categories within a coordinated network. Ultimately, that integrated approach seeks to help businesses move food efficiently from origin to shelf.