By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it will integrate food label education into schools, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) community development activities and consumer safety clubs as part of efforts to build a nationwide culture of reading food labels.
Persecondnews correspondent reports that the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the launch of the agency’s “Read Your Label” initiative.
She described reading food labels as a collective responsibility, urging Nigerians to make it a habit before buying or consuming packaged foods.
“Everybody who goes to the supermarket or market to buy food must take the responsibility to read food labels. Before you buy it, read it. When you eat it, understand it,” she said.
Adeyeye said the agency would sustain the initiative through public education, stakeholder engagement and partnerships to ensure food label awareness becomes part of everyday life.
“We are partnering with young pharmacists across Nigeria for public education, stakeholder engagement and regulatory compliance.
“We are also integrating food label education into our Consumer Safety Clubs and the NYSC Community Development framework to ensure sustainability,” Adeyeye saidm
The NAFDAC boss said the agency has also intensified engagement with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods as part of efforts to tackle diet-related diseases.
“We met with our manufacturers a few months ago on the reduction of salt. We have given them a phased approach to ensure our foods are not loaded with salt because of the cardiovascular diseases associated with excessive salt consumption.”
She said the growing availability of packaged and processed foods makes it increasingly important for consumers to understand what they are buying and eating.
“Consumers are confronted with an unprecedented number of food choices every day. The ability to understand, interpret and apply information on food labels has never been more important.”
The NAFDAC Boss urged parents, schools, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations, industry stakeholders and consumer groups to help promote the habit of reading food labels and encourage healthier food choices across the country.
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