The ministry of Health has introduced a new nutrition profiling model to identify processed foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats as Uganda grapples with a growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Nutrition Profile Model, launched today, Tuesday, sets thresholds for five nutrients of concern — sugars, salt, saturated fats, trans fats and total fats — and is expected to guide efforts to regulate the marketing of foods that exceed recommended limits.
The model is aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nutrient Profile Model for the African Region and is intended to help consumers identify foods with potentially unhealthy nutrient levels and make more informed choices.
The intervention comes amid growing evidence linking increased consumption of processed foods to obesity and other NCDs.
The Global Burden of Disease study has identified poor-quality diets as a leading risk factor for disease globally, while the WHO has warned that the increasing availability and consumption of cheap, energy-dense processed foods is contributing to rising levels of overweight, obesity and other diet-related illnesses.
The trend is also becoming more pronounced in Africa as diets shift towards processed foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
A WHO study involving populations in Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa found that women who consumed the highest amounts of processed foods were three times more likely to be overweight and more than four times as likely to be obese as those with the lowest consumption.
Uganda’s new model is being introduced against this changing food environment, where processed foods are increasingly accessible and aggressively marketed, including to children.
56 per cent of foods exceed salt limits
Dr Prospero Grace Ocheng, a principal nutritionist at the ministry of Health, said the government developed the thresholds after conducting a survey of processed foods in 14 districts.
The assessment found that 56 per cent of the processed foods examined, including crisps and other snacks, exceeded recommended sodium limits. Forty-eight per cent contained excessive levels of sugar, while 46 per cent exceeded the recommended threshold for saturated fats.
Ocheng said the findings informed the classification of foods according to their nutritional profiles. Under the model, processed foods with sodium content above one milligram per kilocalorie exceed the recommended threshold, while free sugars in liquid products should not exceed five per cent of their total energy content.
The model also identifies the presence of non-sugar sweeteners in processed foods and drinks as a potential health concern.
Children exposed to unhealthy food marketing
The ministry says the model is particularly important as food marketing becomes increasingly sophisticated, with manufacturers using billboards, mainstream media and digital platforms to reach consumers.
Laura Ahumuza, a nutritionist at the ministry, said social media had significantly expanded the reach of food advertising, exposing children to marketing for products that may be high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
She said schools had also become important spaces for food marketing, despite children having limited ability to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy products.
The concerns are consistent with WHO evidence showing that many foods marketed to children are high in fat, sugar or salt and that advertising, including digital marketing, can influence children’s food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns.
The WHO has recommended measures including restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, front-of-package nutrition labelling, healthier food environments around schools and fiscal measures such as taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.
However, implementation of such measures has historically been slow, particularly in Africa.
No enforcement mechanism yet
The introduction of Uganda’s nutrition profiling model marks a significant step towards identifying foods of nutritional concern, but questions remain over how the thresholds will be enforced.
Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, director of public health at the ministry of Health, said the model would help the government regulate aggressive marketing of foods that do not meet recommended nutritional standards.
He also urged consumers to examine food labels before purchasing products and said nutrition information should be displayed prominently on the front of food packages to make it easier for consumers to make informed choices.
Kyabayinze said Uganda was facing a double burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition existing alongside overweight and obesity.
He said NCDs account for about 33 per cent of deaths in Uganda, while 26 per cent of Ugandans are living with hypertension and 3.3 per cent have Type 2 diabetes. Obesity is highest among women, at 26 per cent.
Despite the government’s emphasis on the new model, officials acknowledged that there is currently no legal mechanism compelling manufacturers and advertisers to comply with the nutritional thresholds.
The ministry said it was working towards establishing a legal framework to provide a basis for enforcement. This leaves a significant gap between identifying foods high in nutrients of concern and actually changing the food environment in which consumers make their choices.
Daniel Kamara, a private nutritionist, said the model provides consumers with a useful benchmark for identifying foods that may pose health risks.
He said although manufacturers are not yet legally required to comply with the model, the information could help consumers make healthier dietary choices.
Experts call for stronger action
Experts, however, say regulation alone will not be enough. They argue that the ministry of Health will need to invest in widespread public education, particularly among children and families, to reduce excessive consumption of highly processed foods and improve nutrition literacy.
The broader challenge, they say, is to move beyond identifying foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats and create a food environment where healthier choices are affordable, accessible and protected from aggressive marketing.
The success of Uganda’s nutrition profiling model will ultimately depend on whether the government can translate its scientific thresholds into enforceable rules and equip consumers with the knowledge to use nutrition information when making food choices.
