Advancing Public Health through Mandatory Front-of-Package Warning Labels in Uganda’s Food Policy

This position paper by the Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) urges the Ugandan government to integrate Front-of-Package Warning Labelling (FOPWL) into the revised Uganda Food and Nutrition Policy (UFNP). It highlights the dual burden of malnutrition and rising obesity, driven by aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, especially to children. The paper critiques the 2003 UFNP for lacking explicit regulations on food marketing and processing despite recognizing food as a human right. It recommends adopting WHO’s Nutrient Profiling Model for Africa to guide FOPWL implementation, restricting harmful food advertisements, and enforcing public food procurement standards in schools. By comparing international FOPWL frameworks, the paper advocates for urgent regulatory action under existing laws like the Public Health Act to combat non-communicable diseases and safeguard consumer health.