The director basic of the Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, Tuesday cautioned Nigerians in opposition to extreme sodium consumption.
The counsel is to keep away from diet-related non-communicable ailments similar to hypertension, cardiovascular ailments, and stroke which she mentioned are on the rise globally and in Nigeria.
Professor Adeyeye gave the admonition at a stakeholders engagement on the draft NAFDAC Discount of Sodium in Pre-Packaged Meals Laws 2026.
She famous that extreme sodium consumption has been recognized as one of many main dietary threat elements contributing to those circumstances.
She mentioned the World Well being Organisation (WHO) has continued to emphasise sodium discount as one of many cost-effective methods for enhancing inhabitants heath and stopping untimely deaths from non-communicable ailments.
In Nigeria, Professor Adeyeye mentioned, altering dietary patterns, fast urbanisation, and elevated consumption of processed and pre-packaged meals have considerably contributed to larger sodium consumption amongst our inhabitants.
She added that recognising this rising public well being concern, the federal authorities by means of the Federal Ministry of Well being and Social Welfare and NAFDAC has taken proactive steps to deal with this problem.
She acknowledged that the Discount of Sodium in Pe-Packaged Meals Laws 2026 is a key part of broader methods to advertise more healthy diets and forestall non-communicable ailments, including that these laws intention to determine most sodium limits in chosen classes of processed and pre-packaged meals, guarantee clear and clear labeling of sodium content material, and encourage product reformulation by meals producers so that buyers could make more healthy dietary decisions.
The NAFDAC boss, states that laws alone can not obtain the specified affect with out the energetic participation of all stakeholders, including that the meals trade, particularly performs a central position in reformulating merchandise to cut back sodium content material whereas sustaining security, high quality, and client acceptability.
She added that regulators, researchers, public well being advocates, and client organisations should work collaboratively to make sure implementation, monitoring and compliance. Cardiovascular Unit, College of Abuja, that was current on the assembly has labored carefully with the FMOH&SW and NAFDAC on sodium discount.