Kenya stands poised to implement some of Africa’s strictest food labelling regulations, with a new report revealing that nearly all packaged foods and beverages sold in the country would require health warnings under draft government rules, according to Reuters.
According to research by the non-profit Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), 90% of products from both multinational corporations like Coca-Cola and Nestlé and local firms including Brookside Dairy Ltd and Manji Foods Industries contain excessive salt, sugar, or saturated fat relative to Kenya’s newly released nutrient profile model.
The findings, shared exclusively with Reuters, highlight the sweeping impact of regulations that would position Kenya as a regional leader in combating diet-related diseases.
The urgency for intervention is underscored by Kenya’s escalating public health crisis. Adult obesity rates have tripled since 2000, with 45% of women and 19% of men now classified as overweight or obese. Sales of processed packaged foods surged by 16% in the five years to 2023, reflecting shifting consumption patterns that ATNI warns could mirror the United States’ trajectory unless addressed. Katherine Pittore, ATNI’s Head of Policy, said:
Kenya is at this tipping point where they could follow in the paths of countries like the US, where we are seeing really high levels of obesity and overweight, or they could act now to try to prevent that.
The nutrient profile model, finalised this month, will inform mandatory front-of-package labels, a preventive measure Pittore hailed as evidence of governmental commitment.
The analysis also identified a paradox in fortified products like sweet biscuits and yoghurts, designed to address micronutrient deficiencies. More than two-thirds were deemed unhealthy under the proposed standards. ATNI Executive Director Greg Garrett cautioned:
You could end up addressing micronutrient deficiencies through some of these products, but also contributing, arguably, towards non-communicable diseases at the same time.
The findings emerge from scrutiny of 746 packaged goods representing 57% of Kenya’s formal market, sold by the country’s 30 largest food and beverage manufacturers.
