This policy brief examines the rapid rise of ultra-processed food consumption among Ethiopian children—both urban and rural—and the resulting double burden of malnutrition. It highlights how energy-dense, nutrient-poor snacks and sugary beverages are increasingly replacing traditional diets rich in grains, legumes, and vegetables.
Drawing on recent national surveys and regional studies, the brief shows troubling patterns: extremely low dietary diversity, widespread intake of unhealthy snacks among children aged 6–23 months, and the normalization of processed foods during complementary feeding. Figure 1 on page 4 visually demonstrates high rates of unhealthy food and sweetened beverage consumption in several regions, including Addis Ababa, Sidama, and Dire Dawa.
The authors identify key drivers—including urbanization, food insecurity, maternal time constraints, marketing practices, limited public nutrition education, and food-environment challenges. Box A and Box B detail the health consequences and determinants of unhealthy eating.
The brief proposes four priority policy actions: (1) strengthen nutrition education and caregiver counselling, (2) regulate the food environment (marketing restrictions, school-zone policies, front-of-pack labeling), (3) increase government support for affordable healthy diets through subsidies, school feeding, and local food systems, and (4) improve cross-sectoral coordination to implement “double-duty actions” addressing both undernutrition and diet-related NCDs. It concludes that safeguarding child nutrition is essential to Ethiopia’s socioeconomic development and requires urgent, system-wide, multi-sectoral action.
Resource type:
Peer review