Dubai launches a working group to develop “online food delivery”

Dubai Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Corporation, one of the institutions of the Dubai Economy and Tourism Department, has announced the launch of a specialized working group in the online food delivery sector, which includes the concerned authorities from the public and private sectors.

In this context, the Foundation also issued new instructions for the sector that complement the work of the group, which was prepared in consultation with those concerned with the aim of enhancing competitiveness, upgrading business standards, and attracting more investments and businesses.

The Foundation stated, in a statement yesterday, that to reach the best results, the new guidelines were shared with business owners and operators, to determine the best practices in the main fields within the sector, including the conditions for dealing with food and food companies, transparency, and access to data, noting that they were prepared based on the notes of operators of delivery services and food companies and also the concerned authorities, with the aim of encouraging competitiveness and supporting the sector’s growth.

While the instructions are mainly directed to operators, they will positively reflect on the food delivery system in Dubai in general, which is consistent with the powers of the Dubai Consumer Protection and Fair Trade, and the emirate’s continuous commitment to building a fair and competitive digital economy within the framework of the Dubai Economic Agency «D33».

“The food delivery sector through the Internet has witnessed great growth in recent years, and we appreciate the important role of all companies and platforms specialized in this field in supporting growth and innovation in the food and hospitality sector in Dubai.”

He added: «Based on the importance of the real partnership between the public and private sectors, we have established a new working group that includes the authorities working in this field, and we also developed these instructions with the partners with the aim of encouraging sustainable growth and upgrading business standards to new horizons, while enhancing cooperation, transparency and fair competition in a way that serves the interests of all concerned authorities.

According to a study conducted by Statista Research, it is expected that revenues in the online food delivery market in the UAE will exceed five billion dirhams in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of more than 3% in the coming years, bringing the revenues to about six billion dirhams by 2030.

It is noteworthy that the residence and food services sector formed 3.4% of Dubai GDP in 2024, which confirms its prominent role in promoting economic growth.