The school canteen regulation issued under Ministerial Decision 15 of 2025, signed by the Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi on 28 May 2025, repeals Decision 5 of 2021 and sets out in grams and calories what may be sold to your child at the counter.
The weights
- A sandwich is 100 g, with a filling of not less than 15 g.
- Pastries are 100 g for the whole piece.
- Biscuits and wafers, 20 to 25 g.
- Popcorn, no more than 20 g, plain, low-salt and without butter.
- A piece of fruit, 100 to 150 g; dried fruit, 25 to 30 g.
- Milk, 125 to 250 ml, low-fat and fortified with vitamin D.
- Juice must be 100% natural, or a nectar with at least 30% fruit content. Glass bottles are not allowed.
The calories
- A meal may not exceed 450 kcal in primary school, or 600 in intermediate and secondary.
- No single product may exceed 200 kcal.
- Fat below 30% of calories, saturated fat below 10%, added sugar below 5%.
- Sodium below 400 mg.
What is banned
Twelve categories, among them fizzy drinks, energy drinks and anything containing caffeine; chewing gum, lollipops and gelatin sweets; crisps and puffed snacks except baked low-salt ones; fast food and fried potatoes in every form; instant noodles; processed meats such as sausages, salami and basturma; pickles and mayonnaise; and anything containing MSG, artificial sweeteners, colours or flavours, potassium bromate or partially hydrogenated fats. Nuts are banned outright as a meat substitute — only pulses are allowed. Vending machines are banned inside schools.
The fine
Not less than KD 500 and not more than KD 3,000. On repetition the licence is cancelled and the operator is barred from any future canteen licence. Settlement is possible by paying the minimum within two months and correcting the breach within seven days.
Photo: A compartment meal tray. Photograph by hyolee2, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. It is not from a Kuwaiti canteen.
Source: Ministerial Decision 15 of 2025, Public Authority for Food and Nutrition.
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