The Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting stronger nutrition policies and legal safeguards to protect public health in Tanzania. TAWLA worked closely with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to develop the Tanzania Nutrient Profile Model (TzNPM) 2026. This framework classifies the nutritional content of foods, including sugar, salt, and fats. TAWLA's Executive Director, Tike Mwambipile, emphasized the importance of nutrition as a public health issue requiring collaboration between government institutions, civil society, and other stakeholders.
TAWLA's involvement in developing the TzNPM reflects its belief that good nutrition is essential to protecting human health and supporting national development. The association considers women's health particularly important due to their roles in families and raising children. Poor health among women can affect household wellbeing and the country's development. Mwambipile described the nutrient profiling model as a crucial tool for strengthening nutrition policies and helping consumers make informed decisions when purchasing food.
The launch of the framework comes amid ongoing nutrition challenges in Tanzania, where undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexist with rising concerns about overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases. According to the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey, 30% of children under five were stunted, while 4% were overweight. These statistics highlight the different forms of malnutrition facing the country.
The Ministry of Health stresses the importance of changing eating habits, reducing excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and fats, and encouraging physical activity. The ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dkt. Grace Magembe, emphasized that nutrition improvement requires changes in household food choices, food preparation practices, and the wider environment in which people access food. She noted that Tanzania has a wide variety of locally available foods, but greater public awareness is needed to encourage healthier dietary choices.
Magembe called for collaboration across sectors, including health, agriculture, education, industry, and trade, as well as religious institutions and the media, to support nutrition education and healthier lifestyles. She emphasized that public education alone will not be sufficient without an enabling environment that allows consumers to access and choose nutritious and safe foods.
The government also launched nutrition guidance materials for Muslim and Christian religious leaders to help them incorporate nutrition education into their community engagement and religious activities. TAWLA pledged to continue working with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to promote access to good nutrition for all Tanzanians, regardless of whether they live in urban or rural areas.
The National Nutrition Day celebrations were held under the theme, "Strengthen Health: Eat Naturally, Reduce Salt, Sugar and Fats." The event highlights the importance of nutrition and the need for collective action to promote healthier food choices and lifestyles in Tanzania. TAWLA's support for the new framework demonstrates its commitment to protecting public health and promoting national development through improved nutrition.
Key points
- TAWLA supports Tanzania's new framework to promote healthier food choices
- The framework aims to classify the nutritional content of foods and promote informed decisions
- Nutrition challenges in Tanzania include undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising concerns about overweight and obesity
