CSOS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE BAN ON JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOL CANTEENS

Professor Achileo Kaaya speaking

URN
A coalition of civil society organizations advocating for food justice has called on government to immediately ban the sale of junk food in school canteens. 
 
The demand, part of a five-point appeal, also includes urgent approval of the draft Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), enhanced public awareness of unhealthy diets, regulation of advertising targeting children, and mobilization of stakeholders—parents, media, and schools—to shift consumption patterns.

In a joint statement, SEATINI-Uganda, the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT), CONSENT-Uganda, and FIAN-Uganda warned of an alarming rise in diet-related non-communicable diseases—such as stomach ulcers, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease—particularly among school-age children due to unregulated food environments.

“We cannot continue feeding our children poison and call it love. It is a slow and silent way of killing them,” the statement read. David Kabanda, Executive Director of CEFROHT, warned that failing to pass the Nutrient Profiling Model would violate the Constitution.

“Government, especially Ministry of Health officers, will be in violation of the Constitution if they fail or overlook the urgency in passing the Nutrient Profiling Model or guidance on classification of food and nutrients of critical concern,” said Kabanda. 
 
Jane Nalunga, Executive Director of SEATINI-Uganda, cautioned that if current trends persist, the country risks undermining national food security, nutrition, sustainability, and socio-economic development. Uganda is already feeling the weight of the crisis. 

According to the Uganda Demographic Health Surveys (DHS), 5% of children under five are overweight or obese. Among school-aged children (3–16 years), obesity stands at 32.3%, with another 21.7% classified as overweight. Non-communicable diseases now account for about 33% of all deaths in Uganda.

Henry Kimera, Executive Director of CONSENT-Uganda, highlighted the aggressive marketing targeting young people. “There is currently a very aggressive, but dangerous nature of advertising to children. Bright packaging, catchy jingles, and TV ads on children’s programs and online platforms make these foods look fun and exciting, but in reality, many of them are dangerous when consumed regularly,” Kimera said.

The CSOs noted that prices for unhealthy foods and sugary beverages have dropped to as low as UGX 500, making them widely accessible. Marketers are using emotional and social appeal to influence children and teens. 
 
Professor Achileo Kaaya from Makerere University’s Department of Food Technology and Nutrition emphasized the urgency of food safety awareness.

“We need to remember that food can actually kill you, despite the fact that it is supposed to sustain our lives,” he said. 
 
Kaaya cited various hazards in food—biological, physical, and chemical—warning against ultra-processed foods rich in Trans fats, salt, and free sugars.

“These nutrients, instead of protecting your body, end up harming it. Ultra-processing removes natural ingredients and adds harmful ones like sugar, salt, and fat—especially in the kind of food consumed heavily by children,” he added. 
 
Kaaya also expressed concern about early exposure to unhealthy diets in pre-school-aged children.

“These days people start taking children to school as early as two years. Who looks at the quality of the food given to them? Often, it is food high in fat or sugar. Science has already proved that they can be detrimental. Let us not give our children foods high in free sugar, saturated fat, or salt.”

He highlighted long-term consequences, including digestive complications like constipation and colon cancer due to lack of dietary fibre in many refined foods such as Grade 1 maize flour. 
 
“Proper child feeding is a shared responsibility among parents, policy makers, researchers, and extension officers,” Kaaya said.

The CSOs linked the rise of a new strain, Type 5 diabetes, to continued exposure to ultra-processed foods and obesogenic environments. They argued that government’s Shs 11.4 trillion allocation to the Human Capital Development Programme in the 2025/26 budget should be matched with stronger regulation of food marketing and school canteens.

Rehema Namaganda, Executive Director of FIAN Uganda Chapter, decried the absence of a national framework law on food and nutrition. “The Ministry of Health should give Ugandans this ‘food classification tool’.
 
It should include all non-sugar sweeteners and harmful additives. Nutrient profiling allows people to make informed choices and discourages consumption of dangerous products,” Namaganda said.

The CSOs urged Uganda to emulate countries like Chile, Mexico, South Africa, and the UK, which have introduced successful food policies such as sugar taxes, advertising bans, and front-of-pack warning labels. In Chile, for instance, sugary drink purchases dropped by 23.7%, and childhood obesity rates have stabilized.