New Policy Seeks to Regulate Fast Food Industry

The Kenyan government, through its Ministry of Health, has unveiled a bold new policy aimed at curbing the health risks posed by fast food and ultra‑processed packaged foods. Central to this reform is the Kenya Nutrient Profile Model (KNPM), which sets scientifically based limits on sugar, salt (sodium), total fat, and saturated fat for 21 categories of foods.
Under the draft regulations, any processed food that exceeds the defined nutrient thresholds will be required to carry mandatory front-of-pack warning labels. These will appear as bold black octagonal stop sign labels stating messages like High in Sugar, High in Salt, or High in Fat. Multiple warnings may be displayed on the same product if more than one nutrient is over the limit.
The policy also targets food marketing: products that fail the nutrition criteria will face restrictions on advertising, especially those aimed at children. Meanwhile, public education campaigns will be launched to help consumers understand the risks of these nutrients of concern and encourage healthier choices.
The move reflects growing concern about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kenya: according to the Ministry, about 90% of processed foods on supermarket shelves fail to meet the new KNPM thresholds. Policymakers believe the labels and marketing restrictions can help reduce obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related illnesses.