Al Rawabi focuses on functional products

With 7.2 million people plagued with Vitamin D deficiency in the UAE, Al Rawabi has introduced functional products that can help ward it off

Synonymous with freshness, Al Rawabi started its operations in 1989 in the UAE and is known for offering a wide range of products from milk, yoghurt, laban and juice. Today, the company also offers a range of functional products that are enriched with multivitamins and minerals, and have been designed to help solve the health concerns of the population. 
One such product is the Al Rawabi Super Milk that includes five added vitamins and nutrients (A, D, E, calcium and folic acid).
"When we invented the Super Milk, we were especially targeting people who are deficient in Vitamin D. The product contains more Vitamin D, A and B. In the UAE, there are about 7.2 million people who are deficient in Vitamin D, according to the Ministry of Health, which is almost 80 per cent of the population," said Dr. Ahmed Eltigani A. Raheem Al Mansouri, CEO, Al Rawabi Co LLC, in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.
"I recently came back from Switzerland where I'd attended Vitafoods Europe, the international conference for functional products in Geneva. One of the presenters there showcased the Super Milk and said that this was a great invention from Dubai as it is solving a big problem of Vitamin D deficiency. The best part was that the presenter did not know that I was representing Al Rawabi, and I was delighted by it," recalled Al Mansouri.
Recently, the company also introduced the Vitamin D milk, which according to Al Mansouri, is an even better product than Super Milk.
He said, "The Vitamin D milk is very good for containing the deficiency. The best part about the product is that even if you don't have any deficiency it will not cause any harm."
Al Mansouri has worked closely with Professor Holick from Boston University, who is known as the guru of Vitamin D worldwide. Based on Holick's recent presentation in Dubai, Dr. Al Mansouri explained that Vitamin D milk does not cause any intoxication so people should not be worried. 
Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause fatigue, muscle pain, back pain, joint pain and reduce attention span. "If you drink two glasses of Vitamin D milk every day, it will keep you active and you won't have this pain and fatigue," explained Al Mansouri. 
He highlighted that the company is also working very closely with the UAE Ministry of Health (MoH) to create awareness about Vitamin D deficiency. "The MoH is very concerned about this deficiency, as they don't want 7.2 million people in the country to be plagued by fatigue. Vitamin D deficiency also causes lower immunity and when you have low immunity, you are more susceptible to a cough, cold, flu, etc., and it can cause people to be off work for many days. So the MoH is very concerned about it and when we introduced the Vitamin D milk they were pleased by it." 
There are two kinds of people who are not aware of Vitamin D deficiency, noted Al Mansouri. "There are people who don't know they are deficient in Vitamin D and many that don't know we are producing Vitamin D milk. We are not making any profit in this functional product and our aim is to solve the problems faced by the society. We avoid chemicals and use natural sources to make sure our consumers are not eating anything that can be hazardous to health. All of our products are selected carefully from natural products," he added.
The company is currently developing products for people with hypertension and diabetes that will help in regulating blood sugar. "We want people to have a good and healthy life and become alert and strong and these functional products are the future of the nutrition industry."
Al Mansouri highlighted that at the conference in Switzerland, there was an interesting presentation by a company that is working on research that will extend the human life span to 150 productive years. 
"I am trying to work closely with them to develop products that will help people be more active and help them in living a longer life. This is going to be the future of Al Rawabi," he added.
He concluded by saying that 2016 was a very good year for the company and this year they are poised to see more growth. 
He said, "We are the freshest company because our farm is very close to the plant, which is unique and other companies don't have that. We also conduct farm tour for families to come and see our facility. I like always to listen to our consumers and do everything that will satisfy them and make them happy and create products that will give a long and healthy life." 
Must-haves for Iftar and Suhoor 
Al Mansouri highlights products that can be useful for people who are fasting. 
1) Nutree Boost: The product was designed to be a replacement for breakfast. Al Mansouri said, "We have calculated the requirement for the body for eight hours, from morning till lunch time, because nowadays many people skip breakfast and we did this together with a research team from Finland. The drink has fibre that provides energy, calories, fat, sugar, carbohydrates, protein, minerals and vitamins. We put all of these requirements in a 200 ml bottle. So if you take two bottles at Suhoor it will be good for you for the rest of the day."
2) Fresh Up Laban: This drink contains 10 times more probiotic bacteria and is good for digestion. It can be taken for Suhoor as well as at Iftar. 
3) Al Rawabi's multivitamin juices: These juices will give people the much-needed boost of energy when they break their fast. During the fast, there is a chance of losing vitamins and minerals, and these juices have a high concentration of these, which will give consumers more strength and power. 
4) Pomegranate juice: During fasting, there is an accumulation of toxins in the body, because when people break the fast they can sometimes eat too much. This juice has high antioxidants and one bottle of the juice is good for health.
- deepa@khaleejtimes.com 

• Ramadan 2021