A few miles outside Dubai in the middle of the arid, shrub-dotted desert, scientists are doing their best to combat an unwelcome side-effect of the rapid modernisation of the Gulf – obesity.

Food engineers at Al Islami Foods, a halal foods company based in the Emirati city-state, are trying to boost the protein and cut carbohydrates and fat in their chicken burgers, sausages and sandwiches because of mounting concern over the health effects of unhealthy diets in the Gulf.