‘If it is not safe, think twice, it is not food’

ACROSS cities, grocery stores and supermarkets are mushrooming. They may differ in size, but they serve a similar purpose – offering a range of products to customers in a pleasant environment.

The shelves are usually neatly-arranged and superficially decorated with eye-catching, mouth-watering items.

Among these are various foodstuffs – from beverages to processed foods, chocolate, butter, sweets, and countless other snacks. Such delicious items dominate the shelves because many people, especially in urban areas, have little or no time to prepare fresh meals. It is a hallmark of contemporary lifestyle.

Most urban dwellers leave their homes in the early hours for work, only to spend two to four hours commuting due to heavy traffic. At the office, they sit for long hours behind computer screens, often in plush chairs.

When evening falls, they make the same journey back home – another two to four hours on the road, depending on traffic conditions and the distance between home and office.

As a result, many have little or no time for workouts. Development and modernity have ushered in luxurious lifestyles with unbearable, lifethreatening consequences, trapping many unsuspecting victims in a doomed new norm. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are hazardously feeding and indulging themselves to death.

Many people fall victim to unhealthy lifestyles and harmful eating habits, with millions dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and many others trapped in financial hardship in their struggle to combat these illnesses.

NCDs are long-term illnesses like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and lung disease. These diseases may not spread from person to person, nonetheless, they are just as deadly, and becoming more dangerous across the world. In the year 2021 alone, NCDs were responsible for at least 43 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) data.

ALSO READ: Prof Mwandosya launches cancer diary

That means three out of every four people who died that year from nonpandemic causes died because of an NCD. Experts say many of these deaths could have been prevented.

The burden of NCDs is not shared equally. More than 70 per cent of all NCD deaths happened in low- and middle-income countries. Sadly, 18 million people died before the age of 70 which is considered a premature death.

Over 80 per cent of those early deaths were in poorer countries, where access to good healthcare is limited and where people often cannot afford the support they need to live healthy lives.

The four main types of NCDs are causing the most harm. Heart diseases top the list, killing about 19 million people in 2021. Cancer comes next, taking 10 million lives. Lung diseases caused around 4 million deaths, and diabetes — along with kidney problems related to it — led to over 2 million deaths.

Together, these four groups are behind most early deaths linked to NCDs. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose a significant health burden in Tanzania.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the age-standardised mortality rate for the four leading NCDs—cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and diabetes—stood at 557 per 100,000 males and 498 per 100,000 females in 2021.

Risk factors and call for action Concerned with the growing threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health experts and other stakeholders are raising the alarm, urging governments and individuals to take deliberate and proactive measures to address this escalating health crisis.

They insist that NCDs do not arise out of nowhere; rather, they are silent killers, often the consequence of unhealthy habits and poor living conditions. A public health expert, Dr George Msengi, identifies tobacco use, including exposure to second-hand and third-hand smoke, as a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Dr Msengi also warns against diets high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, noting that excessive alcohol consumption and insufficient physical activity are additional key contributors to the rising prevalence of NCDs.

Advocate Elinami Mungure, Global Health Advocacy Incubator Country Representative, stresses that a significant number of NCDs are linked to trans-fatty acids, which contribute to conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

ALSO READ: New gear boosts fight against breast cancer

“An unhealthy diet can be understood from several angles, but it is largely defined by the frequent consumption of processed foods—products designed for extended shelf life,” he explains.

“These foods often contain added ingredients that are detrimental to human health. For instance, many processed products contain trans fats,” says Advocate Mungure.

He adds that, according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the trans-fat content in products like margarine should not exceed two per cent.

“However, studies have shown that some processed foods exceed this threshold. Scientifically, trans fats offer no nutritional benefit to the human body—their sole purpose is to preserve food and extend its shelf life. Unfortunately, they are a major contributor to heart disease, cancer, and other NCDs,” Mr Mungure explains.

Tanzania has made commendable progress in several areas, particularly in the implementation of national policies and plans related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), increasing tobacco taxes, and developing clinical guidelines. However, progress has been more limited in other critical areas, including comprehensive tobacco control, alcohol taxation and advertising restrictions, salt reduction strategies, policies targeting trans fats, marketing regulations to protect children, and the promotion of physical activity.

Health stakeholders, including the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA), stress that a more holistic and multisectoral approach is essential to curb the growing burden of NCDs and to improve population health outcomes. TAWLA’s Head of Programmes, Mary Richard, states that NCDs pose a significant and escalating threat to public health and national development in Tanzania.

“The burden of NCDs is rising rapidly, placing increasing strain on households, communities, and the health system. Many affected individuals are in their most productive years, resulting in economic losses at both family and national levels,” she says.

TAWLA is currently implementing a sub-project titled “Promoting Healthy Diet and Physical Activity through Advocacy for Regulatory and Policy Reforms and Community Education.” She insists that the growing threat of NCDs demands urgent, coordinated action across all sectors.