Uganda grapples with unhealthy diets

Substandard food packaging, labelling, and inadequate consumer information have contributed to the crisis.

Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Unhealthy diets are a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality, responsible for an estimated 8 million premature deaths each year. Childhood obesity is also a rising concern worldwide.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2020, nearly 39 million children under 5 years of age were overweight, while over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.

In Uganda, 33% of annual deaths are attributed to the five leading Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) namely cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Mental Health disorders and Substance Abuse.

The Global Nutrition Report 2020 shows that Uganda has made little improvement in achieving the diet-related targets and by 2016; about 24% of adult females and 9% (15-49 years of age) males were still obese.

One primary factor driving the increase in obesity is the contemporary food environment, characterised by the growing availability, accessibility, affordability, and marketing of highly processed foods high in saturated fats, trans-fats, sugars, or salt.

Substandard food packaging, labelling, and inadequate consumer information have contributed to the widespread availability of fast, convenient foods in urban areas that are excessively high in salt, free sugars, saturated fats, and trans fats.

A recent workshop organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened experts and stakeholders to address the critical issue of poor packaging and misleading nutrition labels in the food industry.

Participants discussed strategies to strengthen the role of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in improving the food environment by adopting better packaging and labelling standards.

Speaking at the workshop at the Imperial Gold View Hotel in Entebbe on Sept.16, FAO representative in Uganda, Dr Antonio Querido, said nonregulated food environments expose populations to unhealthy diets that increase their risks of related diseases and mortalities thus compromising the consumer’s health and well-being.

“Food packaging and labelling can help nurture healthy eating habits and lifestyles through population education for informed food choices, as well as inform food regulations,”

He added that standard food labelling and food advertising can guide the food industry on product reformulation, while at the same time, providing consumers with relevant information and skills to inform their decisions and choices in a rapidly changing food environment.

“Without proper nutrition education, communication, and adequate food packaging and labelling of such foods, consumers cannot make better-informed decisions regarding access to healthy and safe food,” he said.

He said food packaging labels are a vital bridge between food producers, sellers, and consumers, facilitating effective communication and information exchange. These labels, he said, serve as a primary tool for conveying essential information about the nutritional content, ingredients, and safety of food products.

So far, numerous international agreements endorsed by the World Health Assembly have recognized nutrition labelling as a strategic policy tool to improve nutrition and promote healthy diets.

According to WHO, nutrition labelling includes nutrient declarations, which should be mandatory for pre-packaged foods and defined nutrients; and supplementary nutrition information, including front-of-pack labelling (FOPL).

Effective nutrition labelling, including FOPL, has been identified as one of the strategies countries should use to address the growing global concern about unhealthy diets. The development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of FOPL should be a government-led and collaborative process.

FOPL should also provide convenient, relevant and readily understood nutrition information or guidance on food packs, to assist all consumers to make informed food purchases and healthier eating decisions. An additional benefit is to stimulate favourable compositional changes to food products.

Samalie Namusoke, the assistant commissioner in charge of nutrition at the Ministry of Health said MSMEs are central to our food systems as they process raw materials and manufacture fortified, nutrient-dense foods but still pose challenges of inadequate labelling, misleading health claims and promotion of unhealthy foods.

“Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UNBS) has been instrumental in developing standards for food packaging and labelling but, it is essential to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure that food manufacturers are held accountable for violating labelling regulations,” she said.

And, according to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), MSMEs are the primary culprits regarding packaging and labelling violations.

Cost of packaging is high.

Nassali Hudah Tamale, Secretary General of the Institute of Packaging Partners of Uganda, said one of the primary obstacles is the cost of packaging materials which is compounded by manufacturers’ insistence on large minimum order quantities. This, she said, is impractical for MSMEs.

“The high cost of packaging materials forces MSMEs to rely on resellers who purchase in bulk and resell in smaller quantities, making customization difficult if not impossible,” she said.

Tamale also criticized the government’s tax on imported paper, designed to promote local production. She noted that this policy limits the variety of available packaging materials and increases costs for MSMEs seeking specialized options.

“Local paper producers often don’t offer the desired variety, such as virgin paper, making it difficult for MSMEs to find suitable packaging products,” she asserted.

Need for policy reforms.

To address these challenges, Tamale advocated for policy reforms and increased support for MSMEs. She suggested initiatives like tax breaks for importing specialized packaging materials or programs to help MSMEs secure financing for packaging needs.

Furthermore, she called for stronger partnerships between MSMEs, packaging manufacturers, and government agencies to facilitate access to suitable packaging materials and promote the growth of the MSME sector in Uganda.

Angela Kimani the food systems and nutrition consultant at FAO said it is important to equip MSMEs with the knowledge and tools to implement effective food labelling practices to create a healthier and more sustainable food system that benefits both consumers and businesses.

“When MSMEs understand the significance of accurate and informative labels, they are more likely to prioritize quality and safety in their products, ultimately fostering trust and loyalty among consumers,”

The FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (Addis Ababa) has been conducting a project to assess the current state of food packaging and labelling standards in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

The project has engaged relevant stakeholders in the three countries to understand the food standards available in each of the three countries as well as identify related gaps and challenges, to recommend priority actions.

This initiative is in direct alignment with the commitments made by these countries during the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit to enhance access to healthy and safe diets.