"Economy and tourism" It carried out 8,168 inspection tours of the country’s markets during February and March, issued 729 warnings and imposed 216 fines.

Abu Dhabi, March 24, 2026 – The Ministry of Economy and Tourism, in cooperation with the economic development departments in the emirates, carried out about 8,168 inspection tours of markets during the period from February 28 to March 17, 2026, which resulted in 729 warnings being issued and 216 penalties imposed with financial fines ranging between 2,000 and 200,000 dirhams.

These tours come within the framework of ongoing national efforts to enhance oversight of the country’s markets, ensure that merchants and sales outlets adhere to consumer protection policies and implement them optimally, and provide a safe and fair shopping environment for all consumers.

His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, said that the Ministry, in cooperation with the economic development departments and concerned authorities, continues its efforts to protect the rights of consumers and combat any practices that may lead to manipulation of the prices of goods and products, indicating that monitoring prices and the availability of goods in the country’s markets constitute a top priority in the Ministry’s work, especially in light of the current circumstances, pointing to periodically evaluating and reviewing supervisory policies and procedures, to ensure that markets respond to any changes and to ensure that consumers are protected from any unsound practices that may affect their rights.

He added that, at the beginning of the crisis, the Ministry formed a national crisis and emergency team concerned with oversight in cooperation with local economic departments, and held more than 36 meetings with major suppliers and importers from the beginning of the crisis until now to ensure the flow of basic goods in sufficient quantities, in addition to following up on the daily update from the major sales outlets of the commercial stock of the 50 most important food commodities and monitoring the number of days sufficient for consumption for each of them, in a way that enhances the readiness and efficiency of the state’s strategic stock.

During the period from February 28 to March 17, 2026, the Ministry received a total of 2,441 complaints from consumers, including 1,994 complaints related to the increase in food prices, and 9 complaints related to the hotel sector, in addition to 438 other complaints, all of which were dealt with immediately, including field visits to check the prices of the most prominent food commodities most traded in the markets, such as onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and bananas.

During the same period, the Ministry, in cooperation with the economic development departments, launched a series of intensive awareness campaigns, with the aim of reassuring the public about the availability of goods and price stability, and encouraging consumers to avoid rushing or hoarding purchases during the current circumstances. These campaigns also focused on enhancing consumer culture among members of society, by publishing awareness publications on the Ministry’s social media platforms about basic consumer rights, and the importance of rationalizing consumption and avoiding waste, which contributes to enhancing the sustainability of the availability of goods in the markets.

The Ministry stated that it is following a gradual escalation approach in applying financial penalties and fines, with the aim of correcting violations and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and policies in this regard, taking into account the nature and repetition of the violation. Market control is also carried out through specialized work teams affiliated with it and the economic development departments, in addition to relying on the electronic price monitoring system, which allows direct and real-time monitoring of prices, and is linked to approximately 627 major sales outlets, including cooperative societies, hypermarkets and major stores, which represents approximately 90% of the volume of internal trade in basic consumer goods in the country.

The Ministry noted that the consumer is an active partner in controlling the prices of goods and products, through interaction with the regulatory authorities and communicating with the Ministry through its official channels to submit complaints and report any increase in prices or notice of any violations. You can communicate via the electronic services on the Ministry of Economy and Tourism’s website www.moet.gov.ae, or by calling or WhatsApping the number 8001222, or by e-mail info@moet.gov.ae.

It is noteworthy that the relevant teams in the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, in cooperation with the economic development departments in various state markets, carried out about 155,218 inspection tours during the year 2025, which resulted in 7,702 violations that included failure to place price labels and monitor the quality of products offered to consumers, in addition to preventing cases of commercial fraud and trademark infringement.

The Ministry also received, through its electronic system for services on the Ministry’s website, about 3,167 complaints during the same year, and these complaints were dealt with with high efficiency, as 93.9% of them were resolved, which reflects the effectiveness of the electronic system and the speed of response of the competent authorities in protecting the rights of consumers.

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