Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has cautioned Nigerians on the growing health risks associated with excessive salt consumption, warning that it is a leading contributor to hypertension, heart diseases, stroke and kidney failure.
Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, stated this during a two-day Salt/FOPL Journalism Training on Industry Interference and Response Building in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Monday.
He stated that the training was organised within the broader context of Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to advance healthy food policies, particularly in the areas of salt reduction and front-of-pack labels, FOPL.
Oluwafemi emphasized the need for greater public awareness and stronger government regulation to reduce salt levels in processed foods, urging Nigerians to adopt healthier dietary habits to safeguard their wellbeing.
He emphasized that the session seeks to strengthen the media’s understanding of, and capacity to respond to “a critical public health concern, which is the growing influence of food corporations on policymaking and advocacy processes that are central to reducing our country’s growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs.”
According to him, around the world, governments are taking steps to reduce diet-related diseases and Nigeria is part of this global movement.
He expressed worry that there are attempts by powerful corporate food actors to influence, delay or dilute these public health policies.
He said: “Unfortunately, Nigeria today faces an alarming rise in NCDs such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and kidney failure, and the responsibility to combat these diseases cannot be left to the same food industry whose products and marketing practices help to sustain them.
“Evidence consistently shows that many of these life-threatening and costly conditions are linked to unhealthy diets and the unchecked consumption of ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.
“Excess salt intake raises blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke. Over time, high sodium diets also damage the kidneys and place immense strain on the body’s vital organs.
Oluwafemi stated that the consequences of these unhealthy dietary patterns are also visible in the growing number of sudden deaths across the country, which Nigerians locally refer to as the “slump and die” scourge.
He stressed that addressing this crisis requires, in part, deliberate and evidence-based interventions that strengthen prevention, improve public awareness and promote healthier food environments.
“When it comes to NCDs, health experts have identified several proven, cost-effective policy tools that can significantly reduce risks and improve public health outcomes. Two key measures are the implementation of mandatory salt targets for processed and pre-packaged foods and the introduction of front-of-pack labels.”
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare also inaugurated a National Technical Working Group on Front-of-Pack Labelling, NTWG-FOPL, earlier this year in order to empower Nigerians to make healthier food choices. Front-of-Pack Labels are simple visual tools that use clear text, colour codes or symbols to show when a product contains unhealthy levels of salt, sugar or fat. The idea is to ensure that people can make informed decisions around their food choices regardless of their literacy level.”
