Experts have advocated policy reforms to tackle the excess salt in processed foods and the introduction of Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPWL) to strengthen Nigeria’s healthy food regulation.

Nigeria currently faces an alarming burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke due to excessive salt consumption.

The experts expressed concern that many processed foods consumed by Nigerians exceed safe sodium levels during a media roundtable organised by Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Healthy Food Advocacy Coalition.

The groups decried the absence of clear, front-of-pack food labels, which hinders consumers from making informed dietary choices and urged the media to champion Nigeria’s healthy food policy agenda.

Speaking at the event, a public health practitioner and researcher, Dr Joseph Ekiyor, noted that though salt is the most important dietary source and high sodium affects health in negative ways.

Ekiyor lamented that the incidence of hypertension has tripled as a common risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, adding that reducing salt intake will eliminate the risk associated with the diseases.

“These are the conditions that are driven by unhealthy food, diabetes, obesity, hepatitis, and cancer. The incidence of heart disease increased as a result of the consumption of foods proliferated by these transnational food companies.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 1.6 million lives can be saved every year by reducing sodium intake by 30 per cent.
Ekiyor lamented that non-communicable diseases are the number one cause of death globally, accounting for 43 million deaths, adding that the low and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected.

He stated that certain lifestyle practices have been directly linked to the aetiology of non-communicable diseases such as unhealthy diets, physical activity, tobacco, smoking and alcohol.

Ekiyor observed that in Nigeria, 29 per cent of deaths are due to non-communicable diseases and blamed the situation on the consumption of sugar, salt, saturated fatty acids, and trans-fatty acids. “There’s a 26 per cent probability that in Nigeria, we will die before 70 years from non-communicable diseases,” he said.

He emphasised that prevention should be through policy, instruments such as taxes and bans on unhealthy foods and incentivising by way of subsidies, and public alternatives.

The Country Director of NHED, Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, observed that the food environment is flooded with products containing invisible risks and urged the media to spotlight these issues, as well as push for solutions that protect the health of Nigerians.

He disclosed that Nigeria has developed National Sodium Reduction Guidelines, and there are ongoing efforts by NAFDAC to establish enforceable sodium limits in commercially processed foods.

Sokpo stated that conversations are also advancing on FOPL in packaged foods to empower consumers with clear, easy-to-understand information at the point of purchase.

He, however, emphasised that the success of these policy measures depends on public awareness and accountability. “We share a common goal: to build a healthier Nigeria through informed policy, strategic advocacy, and responsible communication.

Through your platforms, your stories, you shape the national discourse, influence behaviour, policy, and priorities.” In her opening remarks, the Country Coordinator of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Joy Amafah, said that the transitioning of Nigeria’s dietary lifestyle and habits from traditional diets known to be healthier, culturally acceptable and locally sourced to processed and ultra-processed products (UPPs) with minimal nutritional value and nutrients concerns have contributed to the growing burden of NCDs in Nigeria.

She emphasised the need for policy intervention to address gaps in the food environment, such as NPM (Nutrition Profile Modelling), FOPWL, and sodium reduction. The Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, urged media practitioners to elevate food policy into the mainstream of public discourse.