Imagine the scene: you’re leisurely strolling through a bustling supermarket or mall, surrounded by a tempting array of treats and delicacies. Perhaps you have your children, nieces, or nephews in tow, their eager hands pulling at yours, pleading for one sugary delight after another. But as you navigate this maze of goodies, you start to notice something troubling: many products lack clear labels, with tiny, hard-to-read print tucked away on the back of neatly packaged items.
This scenario is all too familiar for Jared Owuor, a program officer at the Non-communicable Diseases Alliance (NCD), who shares his struggle to steer his daughter away from the sugary and fatty temptations that adorn the shelves of supermarkets and malls.
“Like any impressionable youngster, she’s drawn to the brightly packaged sweets and sugary drinks prominently displayed in retail outlets. It’s taken considerable effort to explain to her that there are healthier, natural alternatives like fruits,” he shares with Afya Watch.
Owuor highlights Kenya’s challenge of the widespread lack of information regarding the composition of popular fast food products.
“We’re bombarded with enticing advertisements promoting snacks and fast foods loaded with salt, fat, and refined sugar. Burgers, for example, are often marketed as healthy, containing essential nutrients. However, many foods contain preservatives that pose health risks such as cancer and childhood obesity,” he explains.
Read that Label on Your Soda Bottle
This sentiment is echoed by medicalnewstoday.com, a US health publication, which outlines the presence of cancer-causing chemicals in food, including nitrites, nitrates, and preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole and potassium bromate.
Owuor emphasizes the media’s role in raising awareness to counter the myths perpetuated by the processed food industry, aiming to reduce the consumption of foods with harmful preservatives.
Similarly, Samwel Ochieng from the Consumer Information Network expresses concern over the consumption of products with inadequately studied health benefits, such as carbonated energy drinks overloaded with refined sugar, potentially leading to diabetes and other complications.
Despite efforts to advocate for stricter regulations, the influence of commercial interests poses challenges.
Research conducted by APHRC aimed to assess consumer awareness levels and understanding of food labeling symbols. The study revealed that while many consumers were aware of back-of-pack labels, understanding and interpretation varied.
Dr. Shukri Mohammed, a research scientist at APHRC, emphasizes the importance of clear labeling to empower consumers to make informed choices. The adoption of Front-of-Pack Labeling (FOPL) policies, such as the Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) endorsed by the World Health Organization, is recommended to enhance public awareness and promote healthier dietary choices.
Enforcement of FOPL policies could lead to industry reformulation, stricter marketing regulations targeting children, and fiscal measures like higher taxes on unhealthy products, ultimately offering Kenyans a healthier range of options.
In a world inundated with enticing but potentially harmful food products, the call for clearer labeling and healthier choices has never been more urgent. It’s time to navigate the maze of food labels with confidence and prioritize our health above all else.
