Weeks after launching Uganda’s first Nutrition Profile Model (NPM), food and health rights advocates want the government to quickly pave the way for the enforcement of front-of-pack warning labels on food products. The newly launched model sets thresholds for nutrients of concern, including sugars, salt and fats, guiding efforts to regulate the marketing of foods that exceed the recommended limits for good health.
However, Consumer NGO Consent Uganda says that even with this guide in place, it remains difficult for people to know how much of these nutrients they are consuming and what levels are considered excessive. This comes as the consumption of ultra-processed foods in Uganda continues to rise, putting more people at risk of suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Benard Bwambale, a programmes officer at Consent Uganda, says the country urgently needs front-of-pack warning labels on food products if the 33 percent of people who succumb to NCDs annually are to be saved. He says these simple, clear symbols, placed on the front of food packaging to alert buyers when a product contains excessive amounts of critical risk nutrients such as sugar, salt and fat, could go a long way in reducing the burden of NCDs.
Citing countries such as Mexico and Chile, where such labels have helped reduce the consumption of foods that put people at risk of NCDs, Bwambale says they want Ugandans to make informed food choices. He says this is why the organisation is embarking on a mass media campaign aimed at not only pushing the government to develop regulations for the industry to follow, but also creating wider awareness among consumers through mainstream and social media.
However, while the NGO is pushing for these guidelines, implementation may not come easily. Rehema Meeme, a standards officer in the Food and Agriculture Standards Division at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), says there is currently no standard for front-of-pack warning labels on food products.
She says although the Ministry of Health launched the Nutrition Profile Model earlier this month, the guidance needs supporting operational documents before a standard and regulations can be developed. Meeme explains that there are currently no warning signs approved for use in Uganda, unlike in other countries where geometric shapes carrying text such as “high in sugars” or “high in fat”, or traffic-light systems, are used to give consumers information about the products they are about to buy.
She warns that rushing to introduce regulations and directives on front-of-pack warnings without checking and harmonising them with existing systems elsewhere in the region could disrupt trade and is likely to face significant pushback from the industry. However, UNBS has already adopted guidelines on front-of-pack warnings from the East African Community (EAC), although they are not yet enforceable.
For harmonisation, Meeme says the entire EAC should use the same nutrient profile model and uniform warning signs to ensure the smooth flow of trade. Meeme reveals that UNBS is currently benchmarking and conducting pre-tests to determine which of the available labelling systems can best serve the purpose in Uganda, noting that Kenya has moved ahead of other countries in developing both the nutrition profile model and warning labels.
Meanwhile, in the absence of guidelines, the Ministry of Health warns that people are “eating their way to the hospital.” Dr Prospero Grace Ocheng, the Principal Nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, told URN that the ministry conducted a landscape survey of processed foods, sampling products from 14 districts across the country.The results of the survey, published in 2025, revealed that 56 percent of processed foods on the shelves, including crisps and other snacks, exceed the recommended sodium limits. Forty-eight percent contain excessive levels of sugar, while 46 percent exceed the recommended threshold for fats-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
