Businesses have been dealt a blow after the government announced plans to intensify the campaign to curb advertising and consumption of unhealthy foods, particularly among children.
This move, according to the Ministry of Health, is part of sweeping reforms to tackle the worrying rise in diet-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) across the country.
In a statement released on Monday, June 9, the ministry revealed plans to develop a Nutrient Profile Model to reinforce the country's food policy framework.
"The Ministry of Health is stepping up efforts to address the growing threat of diet-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) by reinforcing Kenya’s food policy framework," the Ministry noted in its statement.
At the centre of this response is the development of a Nutrient Profile Model, which sets clear thresholds for sodium, sugar, and saturated fat nutrients that are strongly linked to the rising burden of NCDs in the country.
A Nutrient-Profile Model is basically a system backed by science which is designed to set clear limits on ingredients which have potentially adverse effects on the human body, such as sodium, sugar and saturated fats.
According to the government, all these ingredients have been scientifically proven to be huge contributors to the growing NCD crisis.
As part of a broader crackdown, the government also revealed plans ranging from regulatory to policy measures, with a great emphasis on limiting the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks.
Part of the policy measures will entail introducing tighter controls on adverts which target children, a move aimed at restricting the sale and visibility of unhealthy food products.
In addition, the government will also push for front-of-pack nutrition labels to give consumers clearer health warnings on any product they choose to purchase.
Further, the ministry also hinted at the introduction of policies which would curb the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and regulate the availability of unhealthy food products.
Such policies have been adopted in other countries with relative success, with the most notable example being in Singapore, where ads for unhealthy drinks with high sugar content were banned in 2019.
In addition to the ban, Singapore's government also required sugary drinks to display a colour-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label which detailed the sugar content in the drink.
