Experts call for mandatory warning labels to combat South Africa's childhood obesity

South Africa is facing an increasing obesity crisis. Childhood obesity has risen from one in 20 to one in eight in just a decade. Experts are increasingly of the opinion that mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FoPWL) can help reduce these alarming numbers by helping parents and guardians make informed decisions about what to feed their children.
Image supplied.
Image supplied.

The “Chew on This: Big Food Is Not Telling Us the Whole Truth” public discussion held in Johannesburg at The Wits Origins Centre on 4 September 2025, included public health experts, legal minds, and industry insiders and was moderated by journalist Crystal Orderson.

The panel brought together leading voices in health, law and advocacy:

  • Dr Tamryn Frank – researcher at the University of the Western Cape, working in the field of obesity and non-communicable disease prevention.
  • Zukiswa Zimela – communications manager at HEALA (Healthy Living Alliance), with experience in community mobilisation, health systems strengthening, policy advocacy and lobbying.
  • Yolanda Radu – senior researcher at the SAMRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, PRICELESS SA.
  • Alice Khan – researcher at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, focusing on the marketing of food and beverages to children.

The discussion included clips from the BBC documentary Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating’ by Dr Chris van Tulleken, who described the deliberate strategies companies use – from the addictive balance of salt, sugar and fat to the lure of free toys and collectables, to using cartoon characters that appeal to children to drive sales.

Experts call for mandatory warning labels to combat South Africa's childhood obesity

Frank stressed that front-of-package labelling is a human rights issue.

“Every child has the right to grow up in an environment that supports their health, not one that exploits them for profit.

“Front-of-package warning labels cut through marketing spin by putting the facts where consumers can’t miss them – on the front of the product.

“The state has a duty to step in and regulate where industry will not.”

Khan pointed out that ultra-processed foods have steadily displaced fresh fruit, vegetables and traditional diets in South Africa.

“Reversing this trend is critical. We need to create conditions where healthier, more affordable foods are widely available so that families can return to eating in ways that support their wellbeing.”

Matter of urgency

In South Africa, Radu added, ultra-processed foods dominate supermarket shelves, while fresh fruit and vegetables are often too expensive or hard to find.

“Reversing this trend is critical. We need to create conditions where healthier, more affordable foods are widely available so that families can return to traditional ways of eating that support their wellbeing.

“Unless we make healthier options accessible to everyone, diet-related diseases will continue to rise.”

The panel felt that the marketing is relentless, and children are a prime target.

“We see how packaging, advertising and even product design are carefully engineered to bypass parents and appeal directly to children,” Zimela said.

“Divulging these tactics equips families with the knowledge they need to make healthier choices, helps the public understand what’s at stake and builds pressure for stronger protections and accountability.”

HEALA argues that the Department of Health must finalise and implement mandatory front-of-package warning labels as a matter of urgency, warning that every delay leaves children exposed to aggressive and misleading food marketing.

“This is a low-cost, high-impact intervention that government can put in place right now,” said Mbalati.

“Parents are trying to make healthy choices, but without clear and visible warnings, they’re set up to fail. Voluntary labelling schemes have failed here and elsewhere.

“What South Africa needs are warning labels that are mandatory, simple to understand and impossible to ignore.

“Anything less is a victory for the food industry at the expense of children’s health.”


 
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