Tanzania Intensifies Efforts to Tackle the Burden of Malnutrition, Curb Rising Cases of Obesity

15 July 2026
Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
By Esther Takwa

Dar es Salaam — TANZANIA has intensified efforts to tackle the growing double burden of malnutrition by addressing undernutrition while curbing rising cases of overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Grace Magembe, said Tanzania has made prevention of obesity a public health priority alongside ongoing interventions to combat malnutrition.

She made the statement during an introductory session of the International Congress on Overweight and Obesity (ICO), held in Mexico from July 15-17, 2026, where she stated that the country's progress has been supported by government investment in generating scientific evidence to guide policy decisions and strengthen nutrition interventions.

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She noted that Tanzania has conducted a National Investment Case Assessment for preventing overweight and obesity, assessed the nutritional quality of packaged foods available in the market, and carried out studies to understand how consumers interpret nutrition information on food labels and how such information influences purchasing decisions.

Additionally, she stated that Tanzania has developed a National Nutrient Profile Model and participated in developing an East African Community regional framework for assessing the nutritional quality of foods, which will support the formulation and implementation of nutrition policies.

"The frameworks will pave the way for future measures, including introducing warning labels on food packages, regulating unhealthy food advertisements targeting children, and improving nutrition environments in schools and communities," she said.

Moreover, Dr Magembe attributed the achievements to collaboration between the government, research institutions, higher learning institutions, civil society organisations and development partners, which has enabled nutrition policies to be guided by scientific evidence.

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