KAMPALA — The Uganda National Civil Society Coalition on Healthy Diets has urged the Ministry of Health to expedite the passage of the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), a tool designed to promote healthy diets and empower consumers to make informed food choices.
“We are working with the Ministry of Health to expedite the passing of the Nutrient Profiling Model, a tool that will help many people identify products, food, and sugar-sweetened beverages that are high in salt, fat, and sugar,” said Dr. David Kabanda, Executive Director of CEFRONT.
“Many Ugandans are dying from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, and many people don’t know they have diabetes. The main cause of this is excessive sugar consumption, which can be reduced with the help of the Nutrient Profiling Model,” Dr. Kabanda explained.
“We have been speaking to people, and they are listening, but they are asking when they will know if a product is excessive in salt, fat, or sugar. The Nutrient Profiling Model is the scientific tool that will help Ugandans make informed choices,” he added.
Dr. Kabanda emphasized that the Ministry of Health has the mandate to approve the NPM and urged them to expedite the process, which has been delayed. “We appeal to the Ministry of Health to expedite the passage of the Nutrient Profiling Model. They have the draft, but it has been delayed for too long. We want them to give Ugandans a Nutrient Profiling Model by the end of this month.”
Honorable Milton Muwuma, chairperson of the Parliamentary Development Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security, stressed the importance of guidance on nutritional content. “So many people are suffering from excessive salt and sugar consumption, leading to diabetes and hypertension. Instead of eating indiscriminately, we need to know the nutritional content of our food. What percentage of calcium, potassium, and other essential nutrients do we consume to remain healthy?”
He pledged to push for the passage of the Food and Nutrition bill and the launch of Uganda’s Nutrient Profiling Model. “As parliament, we will fast-track the passing of the Food and Nutrition bill, which has been long overdue. The Speaker of Parliament has assured us that we will table this bill as soon as the house convenes. We will also push the Minister of Health to launch Uganda’s Nutrient Profiling Model officially.”
