Warning-based Front-of-Package Labelling: A Cost-Effective Measure to Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases

Bangladesh is confronting a silent yet rapidly intensifying public health challenge.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer, account for a substantial and growing share of mortality and morbidity, imposing significant social and economic costs on households, the healthcare system, and the broader economy.

A key driver of this escalating burden is the rising consumption of ultra-processed packaged foods, high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats.

Over recent decades, the country’s dietary landscape has undergone a profound transformation.

The aggressive marketing, widespread availability, and affordability of packaged snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages, and other ultra-processed food products have reshaped eating patterns across the country.

A growing body of evidence indicates that many of these products contain excessive levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fats, nutrients strongly associated with heightened risks of several NCDs.

At present nutritional information of ultra-processed packaged foods, typically displayed on the back of packaging in small print and complex numerical formats, are difficult for consumers to understand and interpret.

Consequently, many individuals are unable to make informed dietary choices at the point of purchase, limiting their capacity to identify products that may pose health risks.

In this situation, Front-of-Package Labelling (FOPL) has emerged as a practical, evidence-based policy intervention designed to address this information asymmetry.

FOPL is a nutrition labelling system that provides clear, simple and interpretive information on the front of food packages which contain excessive amounts of sugar, salt, or saturated fat.

By presenting critical nutritional information in a simple and highly visible format, FOPL empowers consumers to make more informed and healthier dietary choices, reducing their reliance on potentially misleading marketing claims, persuasive packaging designs, and complex back-of-pack nutrition information.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies warning-based FOPL system, developed using scientifically robust Nutrient Profile Models (NPMs), as an effective public health measure for addressing diet-related NCDs.

The rapid rise in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, coupled with the escalating burden of NCDs, highlights the urgent need for the introduction of mandatory warning-based FOPL in Bangladesh.

NCDs have emerged as one of the country’s most pressing public health challenges, with approximately one in four adults affected by hypertension and an estimated 13.9 million people living with diabetes.

Collectively, NCDs are responsible for an estimated 570,263 deaths annually, accounting for nearly 71 percent of all deaths nationwide, with a significant proportion occurring prematurely. According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases claim approximately 283,800 lives each year in Bangladesh.

Of particular concern is the increasing prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions among younger populations, a trend that threatens not only individual well-being but also the country’s long-term productivity, human capital development, and economic growth.

Simultaneously, the rising costs associated with the treatment and management of NCDs are placing substantial financial pressures on households and imposing an increasing burden on the national healthcare system.

Evidence from studies on processed and ultra-processed packaged foods in Bangladesh is equally alarming.

A nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted in 2025 among 974 adults, adolescents, and children found that nearly 97 percent of respondents consumed packaged foods at least once a week.

The same study analyzed 105 processed and ultra-processed food products across the World Health Organization’s 14 food categories and found that 63 percent contained excessive levels of salt (sodium).

Another study conducted in 2023 examined 24 brands from nine commonly consumed packaged food types in Bangladesh, including chips, chanachur, roasted lentils and peas, noodles, biscuits, lollipops, milk chocolate, chutney, and ice cream.

The findings revealed that these products contained levels of sodium, sugar, and fat that substantially exceeded the WHO’s recommended daily limits.

Moreover, 46 percent of product labels did not provide information on saturated fat, 38 percent omitted trans-fat information, and 21 percent failed to disclose sugar and salt content. None of the products reported the actual quantities of sodium, sugar, saturated fat, or trans-fat.

In such circumstances, consumers cannot reasonably make informed and healthier food choices. However, mandatory warning-based FOPL can play an effective role in this regard.

Rather than requiring consumers to calculate nutrient percentages, interpret technical terminology, or analyze lengthy ingredient lists, clear warning labels displayed on the front of food packages immediately indicate whether a product contains excessive amounts of sugar, salt, or saturated fat.

This enables consumers to make quicker and more informed purchasing decisions at the point of sale.

FOPL is a globally proven, highly effective public health tool. To date, 44 countries have implemented either mandatory or voluntary FOPL systems.

Countries such as Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay have reported reductions in the purchase of unhealt-hy foods and improved public awareness of nutrition and diet-related health risks following the introduction of mandatory warning-based FOPL.

Global evidence demonstrates that simple, visible warning labels help consumers understand nutritional risks more easily and encourage healthier food choices.

Bangladesh has also commenced its journey towards introducing mandatory warning-based FOPL.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has prepared the draft “Safe Food (Packaged Food Labelling) Regulations 2026,” which proposes mandatory black octagonal warning labels stating “High in Sugar,” “High in Salt,” and “High in Saturated Fat” on the front of packages of ultra-processed foods and beverages containing excessive amounts of sugar, salt and saturated fat.

What is needed now is strong political commitment, policy prioritization, administrative leadership, and the swift finalization and effective implementation of the draft regulations in the interest of public health.

Every delay in introducing mandatory FOPL will allow diet-related non-communicable diseases to continue rising and will directly undermine Bangladesh’s progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 3.4, which aims to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030.

Bangladesh cannot effectively confront the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through curative healthcare measures alone. While investments in hospitals, healthcare infrastructure, medical technologies, and human resources remain essential, a sustainable and economically viable response must place greater emphasis on prevention.

Given the strong association between unhealthy diets and the rising prevalence of NCDs, preventive public health interventions that enable healthier food choices are increasingly critical. In this context, mandatory warning-based FOPL is an evidence-based, best-buy policy measure for Bangladesh.

(Authors: Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI); and Mashiat Abedin, Coordinator, PROGGA — Knowledge for Progress.)