Stakeholders in the health sector have appealed to Nigerians to reduce their salt intake to lessen the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among citizens.
They made the call on Thursday during a “Journalism Training on Salt Reduction and Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) in Nigeria,” held in Lagos.
The event was organized by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
Mr Femi Stephen, Food Safety Technical Lead at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said average salt intake among Nigerians stands at 3.9 grams per day—exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 2 grams per day (equivalent to less than 5 grams of salt).
He noted that many Nigerians consume far more than this limit, largely due to high sodium levels in processed and packaged foods.
Excess salt intake poses a significant health challenge, driving 38.1 per cent of hypertension cases among adult Nigerians, he said.
According to him, hypertension is a major risk factor for heart diseases, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions, placing a heavy burden on individuals, families, the economy, and the health system.
“That’s the reason why cardiology is one of the fastest-rising medical specialties, as more hospitals are placing demand for cardiologists because of the increasing numbers of people with the condition,” Stephen said.
He added that the ministry had inaugurated the National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction, which propose a phased approach to achieve a 30 per cent reduction by 2030.
To meet this target, Nigeria has adopted the WHO’s SHAKE Roadmap—a multifaceted guideline promoting healthier dietary habits through five components: Surveillance, Harness industry, Adopt standards, Knowledge (awareness), and Environment.
Stephen emphasized that food produced by manufacturers must conform to benchmark standards and urged the media to hold stakeholders accountable while humanizing the impact through reporting.
“Every report, every headline brings us closer to a 30 per cent sodium reduction and countless lives saved,” he said.
Similarly, Bukola Odele, Programme Officer for Cardiovascular Health at CAPPA, noted that sodium is essential for nerve function and fluid balance, but excessive intake heightens risks of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Odele spoke on “Salt Target, Front-of-Pack Labelling as Policy Tools for Combating Non-Communicable Disease Burden.”
She disclosed that most dietary salt is hidden in condiments such as seasoning cubes (bouillon), MSG preservatives, baking soda, other food additives, and processed foods.
According to her, labels on packaged foods should guide consumers toward healthier choices by clearly showing product composition.
She, however, said the commonly used Back-of-Pack labels in Nigeria do not effectively deliver the most important nutritional information.
“To help consumers, there’s a need to shift to Front-of-Pack labels that give critical information in a simple, clear, and useful manner. This puts power in the hands of the consumer and drives healthy consumption,” she said.
Dr Jerome Mafeni, Technical Advisor at the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), emphasized that nutrition labelling is a key policy tool for supporting healthy diets.
He noted that Back-of-Pack nutritional information widely available in the country is often not legible or easy for consumers to read, urging manufacturers to improve it.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Oluwafemi Akinbode, said the training was designed to equip journalists and media practitioners with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively report on and advocate for policies that promote healthier food environments in Nigeria.
