Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has warned that the efforts of the federal government in tackling excessive salt intake in food are at risk of derailment if the media fails to hold powerful corporations accountable for interfering in these policies.
Its Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi gave the warning at a one-day Journalism Training on Salt Reduction, Nutrient Profile Models (NPM) and Front of Pack Warning Label (FOPWL) in Nigeria.
He said across Nigeria, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become an urgent public health crisis, accounting for about 29 per cent of all annual deaths.
Oluwafemi stressed that the most prevalent of these conditions include cardiovascular diseases especially hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
He added that hypertension, for instance, now affects roughly 30 per cent of all adults in the country, according to the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report, remains a major concern.
The Executive Director noted that one of the leading risk factors for NCDs is excessive salt intake, which is often found in prepackaged and ultra-processed foods.
He pointed out that these unhealthy products are aggressively marketed, including to children, by powerful food corporations whose motive is profit, no matter the cost to our health.
Oluwafemi said the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum daily intake of salt of five grams, however, said the latest data shows that Nigerians consume up to 10 grams daily.
He stressed this overconsumption is largely hidden in everyday items such as seasoning cubes, instant noodles, snacks, bread, sauces, and drinks.
Oluwafemi stated: “These products are often marketed as convenient and modern, yet their nutritional realities are either unclear, hidden, or entirely absent. There is clearly a case for policy intervention to stem this tide and protect Nigerians.
“Last year, the Nigerian government reflected on the problem and launched the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat non-communicable diseases by setting salt targets for priority food categories.
“The Guidelines, Nutrient Profile Models and the push for mandatory front-of-pack warning labels are confirmed steps toward a healthier Nigeria.
“However, these steps are at risk of derailment if the public does not understand them, and if the media fails to hold powerful corporations accountable for interfering in these policies.”
Oluwafemi noted the workshop was designed to give journalists the facts, the context, and the tools to interrogate these issues in their reports.
According to him, when you explain how much salt is hidden in everyday foods – seasoning cubes, instant noodles, bread, sauces – you change the conversation in homes and markets; when you investigate who funds research or shapes regulation, you expose the conflicts that slow progress.
“When you tell stories that centre people rather than profits, you help build the public will that makes policy change and enforcement possible,” Oluwafemi explained.
The Food Safety Technical Lead, Federal Ministry of Health, Femi Stephen said the ministry has done quite a number of things over the last few years to reduce sodium in our diet.
He noted this included the development of national guidelines for sodium reduction, which really talks about the reduction of sodium in the food consumed to about 30 per cent over the next five years.
Stephen added: “It also talks about developing a knowledge base for the population, so they can be able to identify the type of foods they are supposed to consume. So chief of which is the front-of-park labeling that the ministry has also led through the inauguration of the front-of-park legal, technical committee last year.”
He explained that the committee has also commenced development or the research on front-of-pack label design, which is currently ongoing in the country.
“We’ve seen that it leads to a lot of hypertension cases, and we found out that by reducing sodium, we can reduce hypertension, cases, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, even death,” Stephen noted.
Adedayo Akinwale
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