Anti-Junk Food Bill Rolls Out, Ban Towards Ads at Hand

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A bill that could transform the nutritional state sits in a limbo, even as the country faces an escalating epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

First tabled in October 2025, the draft law proposes one of the continent's most aggressive regulatory frameworks targeting industrially processed foods.

The legislative proposal is unambiguous in its intent, setting legal ceilings on trans fats, added sugars, salt, and saturated fats in packaged foods. It emulates global best practices, limiting industrially produced trans fats to two grams for every 100 grams of total fat and requiring stark octagonal warning labels such as “High in Salt” or “High in Sugar.”

These front-of-pack markers urge consumer behaviour change at the point of sale, especially in urban centres where dietary shifts have been most pronounced.

Noncommunicable diseases account for between 33pc and 52pc of deaths and disability-adjusted life years, pushing health authorities to roll out a multi-faceted strategy. Community health workers are central to the campaign, charged with identifying and reducing risks such as tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, poor diets, physical inactivity, and environmental factors. In 2019, diet-related factors contributed to the deaths of about 560,000 people, and caused 35pc of heart disease fatalities and 45pc of related disability-adjusted life years.

Azeb Lelise (PhD), a public health expert involved in drafting the law, argued that regulation is essential, especially as changing lifestyles increase risks. She warned that the widespread consumption of packaged foods and sugary beverages is raising the stakes, particularly for urban children.

“Manufacturers should ensure healthier production practices,” she said, stating that the draft law is designed to enforce higher standards and protect public health.

Consumption of unhealthy foods increased nearly 18pc in the decade since 2009, costing 31.3 billion Br (1.8pc of GDP) and leading to 26.9 billion Br in lost productivity. Overweight and obesity now affect 12.1pc of urban girls under five and 6.2pc in rural areas, while 18pc of adults are at risk of premature death from primary noncommunicable disease.

According to Frehiwot Kebede, general manager of the Ethiopian Diabetes Association, the risks for children are acute.

“High intake of sugar, salt, and trans fats opens the door to type 2 diabetes,” she said, linking the trend to more sedentary lifestyles and higher rates of obesity.

Children frequently eat packaged snacks and foods high in salt and sugar. According to a 2022 policy brief, around three million Ethiopians aged 20 to 79 have diabetes, and sugar-sweetened beverages alone contributed more than 17,600 disability-adjusted life years and 11,400 deaths from diabetes and kidney disease.

Per capita consumption of sugar in Ethiopia reached 9.5Kg, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake is 140pc higher in cities than in rural areas. The problem extends to young children. Nearly a third of those aged six to 23 months drink sweetened drinks, rising to 69pc in Addis Abeba. Popular snacks are loaded with sugar, with a soft drink containing 40 grams, a medium cookie nine grams, a cake slice 150 grams, and a tablespoon of ketchup four grams, fueling obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, and heart disease.

According to Hiwot Solomon (MD), Health Ministry’s lead for disease prevention, the new strategy was intended as a “national call to action,” describing communicable diseases as not only a health problem but a development issue.

“The country has elevated NCDs to a national health and development priority,” she said. "Integrated policy efforts, cross-sector collaboration, and strengthened health systems are central pillars of the approach."

Hiwot obserevd the climbing noncommunicable disease rates, high blood pressure, and poor diets as alarming trends.

“Excessive salt raises blood pressure, a leading predictor of heart disease and stroke,” she said.

High consumption of sugar and trans fats drives up rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers, contributing to chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.

The bill's authors seek to restrict advertising of these products on billboards, social media platforms, and broadcasts, and to ban promotional pitches such as free samples or discounts. Sales would be barred within 50 metres of schools and clinics, while public procurement and humanitarian food aid involving these products would be heavily curtailed except in emergencies. Businesses that violate the rules could face hefty administrative fines of up to 150,000 Br, license suspensions, and criminal charges, including up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of up to 200,000 Br. Corporate offenders might pay as much as 10pc of annual net profit and face additional restrictions on operations.

The draft legislation comes as a response to what many see as an urgent public health challenge. According to the Global Nutrition Report, many countries have advanced in eliminating trans fats, but Ethiopia continues to face challenges. It blames a lack of national policy to remove industrially produced trans fats, "a pressing concern," according to the report.

Efforts by the Ethiopian Medical Association to promote front-of-pack labelling date back to 2021, when the group began campaigning to give consumers clearer information. The Ethiopian Public Health Institute is currently working to identify a suitable labelling system that would steer shoppers away from products high in salt, sugar, and fat.

Authorities have already taken some steps to address the broader problem. In October 2024, the Ethiopian Food & Drug Authority (EFDA) introduced a directive requiring the registration and monitoring of food additives, including preservatives and flavours. Excise taxes ranging from 30pc to 50pc on high-saturated-fat oils and sugar were expanded in 2020, and a federal Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, released in 2022, urges citizens to limit their intake of such ingredients to combat the growing threat of communicable diseases.

However, the path to passing the packaged foods proclamation has been slow. Federal health officials have declined to comment, citing the bill's early stage.

For policymakers, the solution depends on enforceable laws, widespread public advocacy, and broader access to services.

“We’re scaling up research and surveillance to ground decisions in real-time data, not assumptions,” Hiwot said. "Progress would be tracked using clear evidence."

The cost of noncommunicable diseases, both for patients and the health system, is rising sharply. Early detection and decentralised care are seen as critical to controlling expenses.

The integration of services into primary healthcare units is designed to bring care closer to communities, with “NCD corners” in health centres now offering screening, counselling, and follow-up for hypertension and diabetes. This approach is hoped to cut down on patient travel and hospital congestion. However, it faces obstacles as community-based insurance schemes, expected to cover most of the population, struggle under financial strain. Most insured patients require full care and close follow-up for chronic conditions.

Cancer treatment has become a major cost driver, prompting government subsidies covering up to 63pc of chemotherapy expenses and new investments in radiotherapy infrastructure, including the installation of linear accelerator machines at five centres nationwide. Free cervical cancer screening is now available at more than 1,400 health facilities, with plans to expand coverage.

“These steps reduce out-of-pocket expenses,” Hiwot told Fortune, pointing to efforts to make treatment more affordable.

Nonetheless, dialysis and transplant care remain expensive. The first dialysis unit opened in 1980 at Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospital with little demand. By 2021, about 2,000 people were receiving dialysis. Today, the number has climbed to 3,500, with transplant costs now ranging from 17,000 dollars to 20,000 dollars.

A March 2023 policy brief from the Mathiwos Wondu Cancer Society, on Queen Elizabeth II St., in the Qebena neighbourhood, put a spotlight on high sodium intake as an avoidable risk. It found that 96pc of the population consumes more than the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended salt limit, with the average daily intake at 3.3 grams, well above the two-gram guideline. Excess sodium is a known driver of high blood pressure and, by extension, heart disease, which accounts for 32pc of related deaths.

Worldwide, high salt intake is blamed for 2.5 million preventable deaths annually. Reducing it below daily usage of two grams could yield the same number of lives saved and deliver a 230pc return on investment. In Ethiopia, the report estimated, such a change could save 21 billion Birr in lost productivity and prevent a million deaths over 15 years.

Biniyam Abera, president of the Ethiopian Kidney Transplant Association, presses for more vigorous enforcement and public education.

“Parents give children packed foods while at work,” he said. "The food industry's influence and misleading distributor practices further complicated efforts to protect consumers."

Biniyam have seen how lifestyle changes and hypertension fuel a rise in kidney failure. According to the WHO, 16pc of Ethiopian adults have hypertension, while three percent have diabetes, two conditions that heavily contribute to kidney disease. Biniyam called hypertension a “silent killer” and warned that rising dependency ratios could strain the health system further.

Industrially produced trans fats were responsible for 32,379 disability-adjusted life years and 1,136 deaths in 2019, mainly from heart disease. These fats raise levels of “bad” cholesterol while lowering “good” cholesterol, and urban residents now consume 15 grams to 20 grams of edible oil daily. Globally, 540,000 deaths are attributed to trans fats each year, 80pc of them in low-income countries. Experts call for strict caps of two grams per 100 grams of total fat, in line with global recommendations.

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