From June 26 to 27, 2025, a cross-sectoral technical session on food justice and legal reform was held in Abuja, bringing together legal officers and representatives from key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to critically examine Nigeria’s existing food policy framework. The session was hosted by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Participants were drawn from the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Finance, Justice, Budget and Economic Planning, as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Service, NAFDAC, Nigeria Customs, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
The session aimed to deepen legal understanding and foster interagency collaboration on emerging food regulation priorities, with specific focus on the legal gaps undermining enforcement on issues such as ultra-processed foods (UPPs), trans fats, front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL), and excessive salt and sugar consumption.
While outlining the objectives of the meeting, Joy Chidinma Eferebo, Project Assistant at CAPPA, noted that the technical session was designed to align legal interpretation with ongoing food policy developments, particularly in light of Nigeria’s growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the increasing regulatory capture of the food environment by corporate actors.
Welcoming participants, CAPPA Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi emphasised that food justice cannot be abstracted from the political economy of food systems. He pointed to the increased entry of genetically modified foods and ultra-processed commodities into the Nigerian market and the erosion of traditional diets. According to Oluwafemi, legal professionals across MDAs are best positioned to identify loopholes and contradictions in Nigeria’s food governance structure.
Goodwill messages from the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) reinforced the urgency of the engagement.
NHED represented by Programme Officer Toyin Adeomi underscored the relevance of multi-sectoral legal reform in addressing the country’s rising NCD burden.
Joy Amafah-Isaac, In-Country Coordinator of GHAI, praised the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for what she described as “visible leadership” on sodium regulation and trans-fat elimination. She highlighted NAFDAC’s work as evidence of regulatory momentum, while urging deeper coordination across MDAs. She also noted that while progress has been made, there are unresolved policy grey zones and enforcement bottlenecks that require urgent attention.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s official address was delivered by Femi Stephen on behalf of Mr. John Atanda, National Coordinator for Food Safety. He underscored the link between food safety and the reduction of foodborne illnesses and framed food regulation as a duty to protect the public. Stephen reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to the national NCD plan and drew attention to recent regulatory efforts, including the operationalisation of the 2022 Fats and Oils Regulation and ongoing work to introduce FOPWL standards. He described food justice not as an abstract goal but as a concrete moral obligation for all state actors.
The technical sessions covered six core areas, each led by subject experts:
- Bukola Olukemi-Odele, Programme Lead for Cardiovascular Health at CAPPA, delivered an overview of CAPPA’s ongoing advocacy on salt reduction and Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL).
- Dr. Joseph Ekiyor, a Public Health Consultant, presented a breakdown of Nigeria’s non-communicable disease (NCD) burden, focusing on the role of salt, sugary beverages, and ultra-processed diets.
- Opeyemi Ibitoye, SSB Tax Programme Officer at CAPPA, provided updates on the current trajectory of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax Programme.
- Professor Olaitan Olukunmi shared strategic policy approaches for promoting healthy diets in Nigeria.
- Dr. Ekiyor returned to offer a policy analysis on the need for mandatory salt limits and the enforcement of FOPWL regulations.
- Finally, Joy Amafah-Isaac led a session on the role of nutrient profiling in shaping Nigeria’s food labelling framework.
At plenary, several proposals were tabled. Participants emphasised that legal instruments must be framed strategically to avoid weak enforcement or capture. They agreed on the necessity of inviting the Federal Ministry of Education to future food justice legal sessions, given the Ministry’s central role in school feeding policies and adolescent nutrition. A quasi-task force was established to maintain inter-agency communication on legal and policy coordination.
Participants committed to reviewing and submitting comments on the draft Sodium Reduction Regulation hosted on NAFDAC’s website. CAPPA was tasked with filing a petition to NAFDAC regarding the exhibition of unregistered food and beverage products at the 2025 Food and Beverages West Africa Exhibition, which participants described as a regulatory breach.
The meeting closed with a shared consensus: Nigeria’s food regulation architecture must reflect the scale and complexity of the public health crisis it seeks to address. Regulatory capture, weak enforcement, and institutional silos cannot continue to undermine hard-won policy gains. As one participant noted in closing, vigilance remains essential— “if you see something, say something.”
