Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya continues to grapple with a significant and escalating burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) up to 2025. These diseases are responsible for most hospital deaths and over half of all hospital admissions, severely impacting the nation’s economy. 

The prevalence of major conditions like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases are increasing, and high mortality rates are attributed to delayed diagnoses and inadequate access to treatment.

According to Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, the national government has been actively working to address the issue through policies, public health initiatives, and international partnerships, recognizing NCDs as a major threat to sustainable socioeconomic development. 

Discussions during various consultative meetings highlighted potential partnerships crucial for finalizing and implementing Kenya’s food policy framework. These initiatives have culminated in the government, under the Ministry of Health, recently launching the Kenya Nutrient Profile Model (KNPM) policy.

During the meeting with representatives from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the PS said it was important to align all partnerships with Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda to ensure all interventions are impactful.

“We must ensure that our people are protected from preventable diet related diseases through effective, evidence-based interventions,” Muthoni stated.

Muthoni hinted at possible partnerships with likeminded organizations built on the foundation of accountability and results oriented. She stated the food policy is not something new, only that, it will ensure food manufactures legibly label processed pre-packed foodstuff with its true components.

The term nutrient profile refers to the nutrient composition of a food or diet. The purpose of establishing nutrient profiles is to prevent the use of claims masking the true nature of food products, e.g. a lollipop claiming to be ‘low in fat’, or a milk bottle claiming to ‘boost the immune system’.

To curb the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the KNPM sets thresholds for three key nutrients: sodium, sugar, and saturated fats. These nutrients are strongly associated with NCDs like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

The Ministry’s proactive approach was lauded by the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA), which aided in developing the model. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) inflict significant financial strain on families due to high healthcare costs and lost income. Simultaneously, they result in substantial government losses through reduced productivity, stress on healthcare systems, and hindered economic growth.

The IILA stated that the KNPM offers a scientific basis for various crucial new policies. These include: Front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) for unhealthy products, restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, fiscal measures such as taxes on specific food items, and new food procurement guidelines for public institutions.

Celine Awuor, IILA CEO stated that KNPM sets the country firmly on the path toward introducing front-of-pack warning labels, an evidence-based tool proven to reduce demand for unhealthy products.

Awuor said that KNPM is aligned with global best practices and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO). She applauded the government for taking such a bold step towards preventing its citizens against unhealthy foods.

“KNPM is designed to identify foods high in nutrients of concern, such as those high in sugar, high in salt, and high in saturated fats, which are often found in ultra-processed foods. These foods are a primary driver of NCDs like heart disease and diabetes in Kenya,” Awuor explained.

Adding “This transformative measure marks a significant step toward empowering citizens to make healthier choices and protecting children from harmful food marketing,” she observed.

“The successful implementation of the KNPM will be crucial in the fight against diet-related NCDs and will usher in a new era for public health in Kenya” she noted with concern.

According Anne Swakei, Programme Officer, Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya, the nutrient profile model (NPM) has been developed and used for nutrition and health policies in many countries. For example, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and the UK initially used NPM for restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children. While in Germany, it is being explored for public health objectives and is known to address rising diet-related NCDs globally. 

In Africa, countries that have implemented or are in the process of implementing the NPM are; South Africa, Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya. Other nations and regions are developing or adapting NPMs to regulate food environments and reduce consumption of unhealthy products. 

Swakei explained the nutrients of concern are; sugar, sodium(salt) and fats predominantly found in unhealthy foods. They are mostly in the form of processed pre-packaged food products and beverages and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs).

“Unhealthy foods, often called “junk food,” are those high in unhealthy fats, added sugars, and excessive sodium. They are low in essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals but marketed using enticing words to lure consumers hence high cases of malnutrition,” Swakei explained.

Examples include processed meats (hot dogs, bacon), fried foods (French fries, doughnuts), sugary drinks (soda, juice), baked sweets (cakes, cookies), and ultra-processed snacks like chips and frozen pizzas. 

She stated the foodstuff caters to specific lifestyle trends including; high demand for online shopping, availability, convenience, accessibility, time management, and ready-to-eat meals hence frequently purchased especially in urban areas. 

“These so-called fast-moving food products, entice appetite but are linked to NCDs, and consuming them regularly can lead to; weight gain, thus obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, increased risk of certain cancers among other chronic diseases,” Swakei cautioned.

Swakei anticipated with existing KNPM policy in place, the enforcement of Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) to the processed pre-packaged food products is most likely to start off in Kenya soon. Unveiling KNPM may have been delayed due to a wide range of consultations with major food stakeholders involved in the negotiations for its implementation going forward.

Most of the fastest-selling food products including staple goods like bread, sugar, milk, cereals especially maize flour in Kenya, and frozen foods, as well as popular items such as coffee, soft drinks, snacks (candy, nuts, chips, hamburgers), and convenience-focused processed foods will soon have the nutrients of concern labels.

The NPM is a scientifically grounded framework and will guide the implementation of front-of-pack warning labels (FOPL). It could put restrictions on marketing and selling of unhealthy foods to children, and fiscal policies like sugary drink taxes, ultimately promoting healthier food environments in Kenya.

FOPL pilot project was tested in Kenya between October and December 2023 by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), testing three label designs: a Red and Green (RG) Octagon, a Red and Green Octagon with icons (RGI), and a Black Octagon Warning Label (WL).

The study, a three-arm randomized controlled trial involving 2,198 participants across four counties; Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Garissa, found the Black Octagon Warning Label to be the most visible and understood, with high potential to influence consumer purchase behavior, though all three were culturally appropriate. 

The Ministry of Health led the development of these labels, aiming to curb rising NCDs linked to high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods in Kenya.

“From the four counties; Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Garissa, the Black Octagon Warning Label was the most visible and comprehensible of the three FOPLs and shows promise in influencing consumer behaviour in Kenya,” Swakei revealed. Adding, researchers assessed visibility and memorability, comprehension, potential effectiveness, and cultural relevance of each label.

Consequently, Kenya’s FOPL will have a Jet Black color and an octagonal shape, indicating that “Jet Black Octagonal” is a valid description for the food products. Thus, is Black Octagon Warning Label.

The current food products are labeled at the back with extremely tiny lettering that ingredients listed requires scientific knowledge to comprehend. This has made it difficult for consumers to relate some food products to their health concerns, instead the majority look at the expiry dates.

However, the new front-of-pack warning labelling has to be on front of packages as the name suggests. Using back-of-pack information, which does not effectively guide consumer purchase intentions, is now outdated. The label must be legible and visible for consumers to make quick decisions on purchase. 

It ensures consumers purchase products based on preference, health conditions not grounded on price tags, advertisement or marketing, seasonal promotions, attractive colour packaging or   strategically shelved to lure customers to buy without prior plan.

Ultimately, this new policy provides consumers with clear and accessible information: The information provided on FOPL is relevant to population needs, taking into account health literacy and cultural norms.

Provides consumers with bold letters that are easy-to- read and understand, simple symbols or colours or legible text for quick decision making on a product. This can effectively warn consumers about excessive levels of critical nutrients like sugars, fats, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium, thereby reducing the risk of diet-related noncommunicable diseases such as obesity and heart disease.

Empowers consumers to make healthier food choices by providing quick, easy-to-understand nutritional information on products, helping to guide purchasing decisions, and driving food manufacturers to reformulate products to be less harmful. In the end, cases of dietary diseases will reduce considerably.