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World Heart Day: CAPPA Urges FG to Prioritise Sodium Reduction, Front-of-Pack Labelling Over Bouillon Fortification
By Prince Benson Davies
As the world marks World Heart Day today, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has cautioned the Federal Government against adopting policies that could encourage higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, warning that mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes may undermine efforts to protect Nigerians from diet-related diseases.
In a statement issued to commemorate the Day, CAPPA said Nigeria is already grappling with an increasingly unhealthy food environment where ultra-processed foods have become embedded in daily diets and are being aggressively promoted across communities.
World Heart Day, organised by the World Heart Federation, is observed every 29th September. This year’s theme, “Don’t Miss a Beat,” draws attention to the need for early recognition of hidden, overlooked or dismissed signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease, CVD.
CAPPA said its recent report titled “Junk on Our Plates,” which was based on monitoring across seven states, showed how food and beverage companies deploy advertising, cultural imagery, celebrity endorsements, pricing strategies and strategic product placement to push foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, especially targeting children, young people and low-income households.
The organisation warned that the growing dominance of such products carries a heavy public health cost. According to CAPPA, diets high in salt, added sugars, saturated fats and chemical additives are major risk factors for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, kidney diseases and cardiovascular conditions, including heart disease and stroke.
Of particular concern, CAPPA noted, is excessive sodium consumption, which contributes to high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organisation, WHO, recommends that adults consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day, equivalent to less than 5g of salt, and estimates that excessive sodium intake is linked to about 1.7 million deaths globally each year.
The health implications go beyond heart disease, the group said. Excessive sodium intake is also associated with kidney disease, a challenge already acknowledged as serious by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The WHO has also observed that kidney disease is rising globally alongside diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, while limited access to testing, health workers, medicines and kidney replacement therapy continues to drive preventable deaths.
CAPPA argued that these realities should make sodium reduction a public health priority in Nigeria, especially given existing gaps in specialised healthcare capacity and infrastructure needed to prevent and manage cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
Against this background, the organisation expressed worry over proposals to make fortification of ultra-processed products such as bouillon cubes a mandatory nutrition intervention.
According to CAPPA, adding vitamins and minerals to an ultra-processed food does not make the product healthy, nor does it cancel out excessive sodium, sugar or trans fats it may contain. A product does not become a healthy food simply because beneficial micronutrients have been added to it, it said.
The group also dismissed the argument that the widespread consumption of bouillon cubes makes them an ideal vehicle for mandatory fortification. Rather, CAPPA argued that the fact that millions of Nigerians consume the product frequently should prompt policymakers to scrutinise its nutritional composition and potential health effects more closely, not automatically adopt it as a preferred channel for delivering additional nutrients.
Indeed, the organisation warned that increasing the nutritional appeal of a heavily consumed processed product without simultaneously addressing its sodium content could send conflicting signals to consumers and weaken ongoing efforts to reduce salt intake.
CAPPA stressed that Nigeria needs nutrition policies that tackle the double burden of malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases together, rather than solving one problem in a way that worsens another.
The organisation therefore urged the Federal Government to prioritise access to diverse, affordable and nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and other locally available foods, while strengthening policies that reduce excessive sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats in processed foods.
It also called for stronger enforcement of sodium-reduction measures, introduction of mandatory and easily understandable front-of-pack warning labels, effective regulation of unhealthy food marketing and other policies that enable Nigerians to make healthier dietary choices.
According to CAPPA, public health policy should not force citizens to choose between obtaining essential micronutrients and protecting themselves from excessive sodium and other nutrients of concern.
“Nigerians should be able to flavour their food without compromising their health,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA. “The widespread use of bouillon cubes is not a justification for exposing consumers to more sodium or for presenting ultra-processed products as solutions to Nigeria’s nutrition challenges.
“Protecting the heart also involves protecting the food environment. Adding micronutrients to an unhealthy product does not make it healthy. Government must prioritise policies that make nutritious, minimally processed foods accessible and affordable, while reducing Nigerians’ exposure to excessive salt, sugar and unhealthy fats,” he added.
CAPPA urged the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that nutrition and food policies are guided first and foremost by independent public health evidence and the long-term interests of Nigerians.
“Every Nigerian deserves food that nourishes rather than food that comes with a hidden health cost,” the organisation said. “The way to address micronutrient deficiencies is to expand access to nutritious diets and evidence-based interventions, not to make unhealthy food appear healthier.”
