In Kenya, 90% of packaged food needs health warning label under new rules

Most packaged food and beverages in Kenya fail to meet new government nutrition requirements and should be labelled with a health warning, according to a report by the NGO Access to Nutrition Initiative.

Last month, Kenya’s Ministry of Health released its nutrient profile model which requires processed food with high levels of sugar, fat and salt to carry a mandatory front-of-package warning label.

The initiative is considered a crucial step in combating the emerging obesity crisis hitting all of Africa: 45% of women and 26% of men in Africa will be overweight or obese by 2030 according to the World Obesity Foundation.

“Africa is facing a growing problem of obesity and overweight, and the trends are rising. This is a ticking time bomb. If unchecked, millions of people, including children, risk living shorter lives under the burden of poor health,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

WTO figures show that 37% of deaths in Africa were related to overweight in 2019 rising from 24% in 2000.

In step with Africa’s economic transformation, there has been a significant shift in food habits across the continent, according to the global health organisation. With a larger urban population, higher incomes and a proliferation of supermarkets and fast-food chains, diets increasingly include hyper-processed foods.

Large multinational companies have also been accused of exacerbating the malnutrition crisis by selling less healthy products in low-income countries compared to those in wealthier nations, ATNI found.

The Kenyan nutrition label is just the latest initiative aimed at strengthening food regulation and increasing consumer awareness about healthy nutrition after a new 4% sugar tax was introduced in February.