A recent study confirmed that front-of-pack food labels could help Kenyan consumers make better choices.
Picture this: you are in the supermarket aisles reaching for your favourite packet of ‘digestive’ biscuits. It looks healthy in bright packaging with even a promise of added vitamins. But now, right on the front of the packet, two big black octagons stare back at you: “High in Sugar” and “High in Saturated Fat.”
Would you think twice before tossing it into your trolley?
That is exactly what the Ministry of Health is betting on with its newly published Kenya Nutrient Profile Model (KNPM), a sweeping nutrition rulebook that could change how packaged food is sold and advertised in the country. It proposes big, black-and-white octagon warning labels on processed food products that Kenyans buy daily in supermarkets.
The government hopes these labels will help Kenyans spot unhealthy products at a glance and avoid them.
“The KNPM has been developed to provide guidance aimed at addressing the consumption of foods and beverages high in nutrients of concern (sugar, sodium, and fats -saturated fat and total fat),” the report states. “It also provides guidance on the implementation of front-of-pack nutrition labelling, restriction of marketing of unhealthy food products, and consumer education and awareness.”
The model is hoped to bring down growing rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases, partly linked to deceptively marketed, unhealthy, processed foods.
The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), a global foundation that challenges the food industry, investors and policymakers to shape healthier food systems, recently found that “approximately 90 per cent of packaged food and beverage products sold in Kenya … would require health warning labels under newly proposed government regulations.”
Common tactics used to market unhealthy products include positive claims such as “low sugar” or “whole grain”, “natural,” “low-fat,” or even “gluten-free”.
While the profile does not seek to ban these words, manufacturers must now print any of these words inside a black octagon shape if the unhealthy ingredient exceeds the World Health Organization’s limits. The words are ‘High in sugar’, ‘High in Salt’, High in fat’, and ‘High in Saturated fat’. A product can carry more than one warning.
The nutrient profile model also provides a path for a future ban on advertising to children.
“Food and beverage products with non-nutritive sweeteners should not be marketed to children. This is in line with the WHO recommendations,” it says.
Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary for Public Health, called for the successful implementation of the proposed policies in the KNPM.
“Through this model, the Ministry of Health aims to empower individuals to make informed dietary choices that benefit their health and well-being, while creating an environment that supports sustainable, healthier food systems for all Kenyans,” she said.
The KNPM report notes that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers now cause 39 per cent of all deaths in Kenya. Adult obesity rates have tripled since 2000. Today, about 45 per cent of women and 19 per cent of men are overweight or obese. The figures are taken from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.
The report adds that non-communicable diseases are already draining Kenya’s economy.
It cites an economic loss of Sh230 billion in 2016 from medical costs and lost productivity, projected to rise to Sh607 billion annually by 2030 if nothing is done.
“NCDs also reduce household income by 28.6 per cent and were associated with a 23.1 per cent reduction in household income relative to a household affected by communicable diseases,” the report says.
Manufacturers may be required to print any of these words inside a black octagon label if the unhealthy ingredient exceeds the World Health Organization’s limits.
Dr Patrick Amoth, Director-General for Health, said the
model will be a solid tool for shaping the food environment policies in Kenya.
In 2016 Chile became the first country to roll out stark,
stop-sign-shaped warnings on unhealthy packaged foods. Within two years,
purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages dropped by nearly 25 per cent, and many
manufacturers reformulated products to avoid the dreaded black signs.
Mexico followed in 2020, slapping octagonal black labels on
foods high in calories, sugar, sodium or saturated fat. Like Chile, it also
banned cartoon mascots from unhealthy products aimed at children.
The Who says the visual punch cuts through marketing fluff
and helps even low-literacy shoppers make quick, informed decisions.
The International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA),
a Nairobi non-profit that participated in drafting the profile, said research has
shown that simple, prominent front-of-pack warnings make it easier for
consumers to spot unhealthy products — far more than the current tiny nutrition
tables buried on the back of packets.
“Right now, you need a magnifying glass and maybe a degree
in food science to figure out how much sugar is in that drink or how salty that
instant soup really is. The KNPM flips the script. You will see the warning
before you even pick the item up,” said Celine Awuor, the CEO of IILA.
The Ministry of Health explained that implementation of the KNPM may take time.
It stated that the KNPM implementation shall involve the establishment of key regulations and policies, stakeholder engagement, capacity building of implementers and enforcement officers, and sensitisation of the public to enhance their ability to
identify foods and beverages guided by a front-of-pack nutrition labelling system.