Kenya is preparing to introduce health warning labels on nearly all packaged foods and drinks sold nationwide.
The move follows the release of the country’s new nutrient profile model, which aims to curb the rise of obesity and diet-related diseases.
An independent report by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) found that 90% of products from companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Brookside Dairy, and Manji Foods exceed safe levels of sugar, salt, or saturated fat.
Two-thirds of the products would also be flagged as unhealthy under global systems like Nutri-Score, which also consider beneficial nutrients.
The Kenyan government and the companies mentioned declined to comment on the report’s findings.
The Kenya and Tanzania reports mark ATNI’s first major assessments in Africa, expanding beyond prior research in countries like the U.S. and India.
ATNI highlighted a troubling pattern: food products sold in poorer nations are often less healthy than their equivalents in wealthier markets.
With processed food sales in Kenya up 16% since 2018, the nation is facing a health tipping point, the report warned.
Obesity rates have soared, with 45% of Kenyan women and 19% of men now overweight or obese, up from far lower levels in 2000.
“If Kenya acts now, it can avoid the trajectory of countries like the U.S.,” said ATNI’s Head of Policy Katherine Pittore.
She praised the Kenyan government’s commitment to front-of-pack warning labels as a proactive step in public health policy.
Yet even fortified products—like vitamin-enriched biscuits and yoghurts—were often deemed unhealthy, raising further concerns.
“You may solve nutrient deficiencies while feeding other health problems,” warned ATNI Executive Director Greg Garrett.
The report analysed 746 products representing 57% of Kenya’s formal packaged food market.