The development of a food atlas of portion sizes for the United Arab Emirates

•A photographic atlas of food portion sizes for Abu Dhabi was developed.•The food atlas and the user guide were published in 2014.•115 commonly consumed foods, including traditional foods, were included.•Photographs included foods with increasing portion size and guide foods.•The atlas can be used as a tool for Middle Eastern food in food consumption surveys.

In preparation for a food consumption survey in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), a food atlas was identified as a necessary but absent tool for the quantification of food portion sizes. A photographic food atlas was developed that included a total of 115 commonly consumed foods, including traditional Middle Eastern and UAE foods (i.e. harees, foul, tabouleh). Of these 115 foods, 82 were represented as a series of 8 photographs of increasing portion size. The other 33 foods, which were irregular in shape or size, were presented as photographs that displayed a range of sizes available for that food on the market. In 2014, the food atlas was published in two booklets; (1) A Photographic Atlas of Food Portions for Abu Dhabi; (2) A User's Guide (available at www.adfca.ae/english/mediacenter/publications/documents/atlas_en.pdf). The food atlas will be a valuable resource for food consumption surveys in the UAE, the wider Middle East region and in any country where there is consumption of Middle Eastern foods. In addition, the estimation of portion sizes will facilitate the quantification of food intake and this is important for the assessment of food safety and food security, both of which are high priorities in the UAE.