The Tanzania Times: Tanzania Food Products In The Eyes Of Access To Nutrition Initiative’s Health Study

Netherlands-based Access to Nutrition initative (ATNi) recently conducted a research on food products being sold in shops and supermarkets in Tanzania. The study was done in collaboration with the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC). Our reporter, Zellidya Ladislaus held a Question-and-Answer interview with Katherine Pittore, the head of policy and communication at Access to Nutrition Initiative and Bo-Jane Woods, the partnership manager at ATNi.

So why now? What has brought you to Tanzania?

We chose Tanzania as a focus country for several reasons:

1. The growing rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – fo example in Tanzania the prevalence of diabetes is 10 percent of adults, one of the highest prevalence on the continent.
2. The rapid growth of modern retail – sales of “Ultra-processed” packaged foods grew by more than 300 USD million over six years, rising from USD 1,913.9 million in 2017 to USD 2,269.3 million in 2023.