HIGH DEATH RATE FROM NCD: EXPERTS EXPLORE MEDIA ROLE IN ENFORCING ‘SALT TARGET AND FRONT OF PACK WARNING’ ON PROCESSED FOODS

There is a growing concern among food and nutrition experts in Nigeria about the volume of salt intake by consumers of processed foods in the country and the danger to public health. This is because studies have shown that the intake of salt and sodium beyond the recommended daily volume of 5 gram contributes to high cases of Noncommunicable Diseases, NCD, in the country. With a global death rate of forty-three million people from NCD in 2021, Dr JOSEPH EKIYO, a Public Health Consultant and General Physician, said statistics also show that a third of all deaths in Nigeria are due to NCD. Dr EKIYO said the situation in Nigeria is further worsened by the shortage of manpower in the health sector, far less than the WHO-recommended 2.5 percent per one thousand population. He blamed the trend blamed partly on the high incidence of migration of health professionals from Nigeria to environments that offer better working conditions and rewards.  The medical doctor made the observations in a presentation during a training programme in Lagos for journalists on “Salt Target and Front of Pack Warning Label (FOPWL) on Industry Interference and Response Building”. The training workshop was put together by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), with the support of its partners, such as Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GAVI) and Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED).  Dr Ekiyo noted that processed foods with high volumes of salt or sodium are in the class of noodles and bouillon cubes, commonly known as seasoning, stressing the need for Nigerians to return to the era where people largely depended on locally grown foods and herbs for seasoning, without foreign processed additives.  Another resource person, Bukola Odele, Project Officer, Cardiovascular Health, Food Policy Program, CAPPA, pointed out that the event of social media, with broadening of the speed and scope of globalisation, inter-cultural exchanges, including the alteration of tastes with the introduction of processed foreign food on the table has exposed Nigerians to the intake of more salt than the required volumes for healthy living and proper functioning of the body. In his opening presentation, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, CAPPA, observed that more and more and more people are falling from what they eat, adding that illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke have become widespread, and much of this burden can be traced to what people consume. “People are consuming foods that are heavily processed, high in salt and sugar, and poorly labelled. In other words, illness is no longer just a consequence of poverty or other factors. It is also a product of how our food system is designed, who controls it, and whose interests it ultimately serves” Oluwafemi noted.  Speaking further, he affirmed the existing statistics that non-communicable diseases account for over 30 percent of all deaths in Nigeria. “They are killing our people at scale, and one of the leading and entirely preventable risk factors behind these diseases is excessive salt intake, much of it coming from prepackaged and ultra-processed foods that dominate our markets.” Oluwafemi said the World Health Organisation recommends 5grams maximum daily intake of salt, but Nigerians currently consume between 7 and 10 grams daily, nearly double that amount. “This overconsumption is largely hidden in everyday items such as seasoning cubes, instant noodles, snacks, bread, sauces, and drinks. These products are often marketed as convenient and modern, yet their nutritional realities are either obscured or entirely missing from labels.” The CAPPA Executive Director said while the Nigerian government has taken the important first step with the launch of the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines, but the challenge lies with the implementation. “These guidelines, which form a key component of the country’s strategy to combat non-communicable diseases, outline salt targets for priority food categories and, if properly implemented, could save thousands of lives.”  He said the “politics of enforcement” — and “the gap between policy ambition, public awareness, and sustained public support” is “where effective communication and responsible journalism become pivotal”, which speaks to the need for training of journalists on the essence of ‘Salt Target and Front of Pack Warning Label’.