Regulating Unhealthy Diets: An Essential Step In Ethiopia’s Fight Against NCDs

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming one of Ethiopia’s most significant public health challenges. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases are already responsible for a substantial share of deaths in the country, while the economic consequences of NCDs are increasingly felt through rising healthcare costs, reduced productivity and premature loss of productive age adults. Preventing NCDs and controlling therefore requires actions beyond screening and clinical services within the health sector. But this requires addressing the major modifiable risk factors that drive the growing NCDs. Among these, unhealthy diets, particularly diets high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, are an important and increasingly urgent concern.