Zimbabwe to Use Sugar Tax Revenue to Fund Nutrition, Fight Obesity
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe will begin using revenue collected from sugar-sweetened beverages and fast-food taxes to finance nutrition programmes and tackle the growing burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) following Cabinet’s approval of the National Nutrition Financing Strategy. The strategy, presented by Vice President General (Rtd) Dr. Constantino Chiwenga in his capacity as
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Zimbabwe cannot attain Vision 2030 without well-nourished citizens
Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe’s goal of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030 cannot be achieved if citizens are not properly nourished, Deputy Chief Secretary for Social Services in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Reverend Paul Damasane, has said. Rev Damasane made the remarks on Thursday while officiating at a high-level Nutrition Advocacy Meeting
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UNICEF Warns Plumpy Nut Shortages Loom Amid Global Funding Crunch
By Kuda Pembere After three decades of treating child malnutrition with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) such as Plumpy Nut under United Nations Children’s Fund support, Zimbabwe faces new risks as funding shortages strain supply pipelines. RUTF, an energy-dense food used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, has significantly reduced the need for
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Maternal anaemia fuels intergenerational malnutrition in Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa Maternal anaemia is tightening its grip on Zimbabwe, with the latest Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) revealing a sharp and worrying rise over the past decade. In 2015, 27 percent of women of childbearing age (15 to 49) were anaemic. Today, that figure has climbed to 41.8 percent, a nearly 55 percent
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Harare’s Children at Risk: 1,000+ Malnutrition Cases Annually
Kuda Pembere More than 1,000 children under the age of five present with malnutrition at clinics run by the Harare City Council each year, according to Jacob Mafume. Mayor Mafume revealed this on Friday during the launch of a parenting mobile application, Rera-Umtwana (Nurture A Child). He noted that most cases are recorded in peri-urban
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How Instant Noodles and Zapnax Snacks Are Fueling a Silent Health Crisis Among Zimbabwean Children
By Michael Gwarisa While they may be convenient and easy to prepare for your little ones, flavoured snacks, foods and beverages contain high sugar, salt and or unhealthy fats that can increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese, and of related chronic diseases later in life. Data from the 2024 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee
Read MoreZimbabwe’s Nutrition Advocacy and Parliamentary Engagement Project Gains Traction
By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to enhance nutrition advocacy and strengthen policymaker engagement on child nutrition and development, Zimbabwe has launched a network of nutrition champions, an initiative that is now gaining momentum and driving greater collaboration across sectors. The programme is being implemented by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance
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Zimbabwe’s Nutrition Advocacy and Parliamentary Engagement Project Gains Traction
By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to enhance nutrition advocacy and strengthen policymaker engagement on child nutrition and development, Zimbabwe has launched a network of nutrition champions, an initiative that is now gaining momentum and driving greater collaboration across sectors. The programme is being implemented by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA), with financial
Read MoreStunting Remains a Critical Challenge for Zimbabwe’s Children, Report Reveals
By Michael Gwarisa Despite improvements in several food security and nutrition indicators, stunting rates among children under five in Zimbabwe remain alarmingly high, posing a significant threat to the nation’s human capital and long-term development, according to the recently released 2025 Rural Livelihoods Assessment Report. The report, produced by the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC), indicates
Read MoreChildhood Obesity Emerging as a Global Public Health Crisis
By Staff Reporter Childhood obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide, with millions of children now overweight or obese, according to a new global nutrition report. The report reveals that between 1990 and 2022, the number of children living with obesity soared from 31 million to 58 million, while
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