Developed under the umbrella and patronage of the Ministry of Economy & Tourism, the UPC is a private sector-led initiative that aligns with the UAE government’s Zero Government Bureaucracy program. The platform represents a major step in digitalization and interoperability, enabling manufacturers, retailers, and regulators to manage, share, and verify product information seamlessly.
The Universal Product Catalog will serve as a central repository where companies upload their master product data — including brand name, nutritional information, ingredients, product images, GTIN (barcode), and country of origin. This data will be synchronized across multiple stakeholders, such as online marketplaces, retailers, customs, municipalities, Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Federal Tax Authority, ZAD, and QCC Abu Dhabi.
Through GS1 standards and AI-powered digital tools, the UPC will create a “digital twin” of every physical product, offering a single source of truth for the UAE food industry. This ensures consistency, reduces redundancy, and enhances traceability throughout the supply chain.
The UPC will significantly strengthen traceability and fraud prevention, creating a centralized barcode registry that helps regulators track products throughout the supply chain while flagging unauthorized imports and non-compliant goods at entry points. It is set to improve product quality and consumer safety by ensuring up-to-date and verified product information is available for both regulators and consumers, who can scan a barcode to instantly access details on nutrition, origin, and authenticity.
In addition, the platform will deliver greater regulatory and market efficiency by introducing a one-stop registration process that eliminates duplicate submissions across multiple agencies, saving time and costs for businesses. It will also support price monitoring and control, enabling a transparent database for essential commodities. The UPC will deliver a measurable economic impact by reducing revenue losses, strengthening brand protection, and boosting confidence in UAE-made products in local and international markets.
