As the world marks World Heart Day, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has expressed concerns that mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes may undermine efforts to protect Nigerians from diet-related diseases. According to CAPPA's Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Nigeria is already facing a worsening unhealthy food environment, with ultra-processed foods increasingly embedded in everyday diets.
This year's World Heart Day theme, "Don't Miss a Beat", focuses on recognising hidden, overlooked, or dismissed signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) early. CAPPA's Junk on Our Plates report, based on monitoring across seven states, documented how food and beverage companies use advertising, cultural imagery, celebrity endorsements, pricing strategies, and product placement to promote foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
The growing prominence of such products comes at a considerable public-health cost, with diets high in salt, added sugars, saturated fats, and other chemical additives being risk factors for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, kidney diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day, equivalent to less than 5 g of salt.
Excessive sodium intake is associated with about 1.7 million deaths globally each year, according to the WHO. Furthermore, excessive sodium consumption is also associated with kidney disease, adding to an already serious health challenge in Nigeria. The WHO notes that kidney disease is rising globally alongside conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
Akinbode expressed concern over proposals to make the fortification of ultra-processed products, such as bouillon cubes, a mandatory nutrition intervention. He stressed that adding vitamins and minerals to an ultra-processed food does not make the product healthy or cancel out excessive sodium, sugar, or trans fats that may be present in it.
Akinbode urged the Federal Government to prioritise access to diverse, affordable, and nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and other locally available foods. He also called for stronger implementation of Nigeria's sodium-reduction measures, mandatory and easily understandable front-of-pack warning labels, and effective regulation of unhealthy-food marketing.
According to Akinbode, public health policy should not force Nigerians to choose between obtaining essential micronutrients and protecting themselves from excessive sodium and other nutrients of concern. He emphasised that protecting the heart also involves protecting the food environment and that adding micronutrients to an unhealthy product does not make it healthy.
Key points
- CAPPA raises alarm over mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes.
- Diets high in salt, added sugars, saturated fats, and other chemical additives are risk factors for various diseases.
- Nigeria needs nutrition policies that address the country's double burden of malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases.
