Regulating unhealthy diets: an essential step in Ethiopia’s fight against non-communicable diseases

Unhealthy diets, particularly those high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats, are a major modifiable risk factor. Ethiopia's food environment is changing, with ultra-processed packaged foods and sugar-sweetened beverages becoming more accessible, often promoted through attractive marketing, especially to children and adolescents. The Government of Ethiopia has shown leadership in NCD prevention through tobacco and alcohol control and initiatives promoting physical activity.

However, unhealthy diets remain a policy gap. The proposed Unhealthy Diet Control Proclamation aims to address this by introducing measures such as front-of-package warning labels, restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, and eliminating industrially produced trans fats. These interventions seek to create a healthier food environment by providing clear information to consumers and protecting children from harmful commercial practices, rather than prohibiting the food industry or consumer choice.

Discussions on the proclamation's implications should be evidence-based, considering concerns from industries against the long-term health and economic costs of preventable NCDs. International experience shows that effective NCD prevention requires a combination of interv