Health experts on Monday 27th October, 2025 called the attention of the growing threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria, warning that globalisation, trade liberalisation, and changing dietary habits have led to a surge in the consumption of ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
Bukola Olukemi Odele, Programme Officer, Cardiovascular Health, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) said the rapid urbanisation of diets and aggressive marketing by food industries have reshaped the nation’s food systems, making unhealthy foods more accessible and affordable. With increasingly busy lifestyles, many Nigerians are replacing traditional home-cooked meals with fast foods, restaurant meals, and convenience products loaded with sodium and calories.
She made this known during the two-day Salt/FOPWL Journalism Training on Industry Interference and Response Building, organized by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), in Port Harcourt Rivers state.
In response to this trend, Nigeria has adopted key policy tools such as mandatory salt targets and front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) to help combat the growing NCD burden, which includes hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
According to the National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) for NCDs (2019–2025), the country aims to achieve a 30 percent reduction in salt consumption by 2025. This effort has been strengthened by the National Policy on Food Safety and Quality and its Implementation Plan (2023), which prioritises healthy diets and mandates the introduction of salt limits and FOPL using locally generated data.
Further advancing these commitments, the 2024 National Guideline for Sodium Reduction proposes a phased approach to achieving a 30 percent reduction in sodium intake by 2030.
The new guideline sets sodium benchmarks—commonly referred to as salt targets—for priority food categories such as bread, bouillon cubes, snacks, and instant noodles. It also provides a framework to help manufacturers reformulate products to reduce excessive sodium content.
Officials say these benchmarks are aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) global sodium standards, but have been carefully adapted to suit the Nigerian food environment.
Public health advocates, including the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), believe that the successful implementation of salt targets and clear front-of-pack warnings will empower consumers to make healthier choices, encourage industry reformulation, and ultimately help reduce premature deaths caused by diet-related NCDs.
They also stress that sustained government enforcement and public awareness will be critical to ensuring Nigeria achieves its national sodium reduction goals by 2030.
Source: Noblereport News
