Stakeholders in the health sector have appealed to Nigerians to cut back on their salt intake to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases among citizens.
They said this on Thursday during a ‘Journalism Training on Salt Reduction and Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) in Nigeria’, held in Lagos.
The event was organised by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
Mr Femi Stephen, Food Safety Technical Lead, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said salt intake among Nigerians, at 3.9 grams per day, exceeded the 2 grams per day recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
He, however, said many Nigerians exceed this recommended amount, primarily due to the high sodium content in processed and packaged foods.
Excess salt intake, he said, posed a significant health challenge, driving 38.1 per cent of hypertension among adult Nigerians.
According to him, hypertension is a major risk factor for heart diseases, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions, stressing that the condition affects individuals’ health, places a burden on the economic and health system.
“That’s the reason why cardiology is one of the fastest rising medical specialties as more hospitals are placing demand for cardiologists because of the increasing numbers of people with the condition.”
Similarly, Bukola Odele, Programme Officer, Cardiovascular Health at CAPPA, noted that sodium was vital for nerve function and fluid balance, but excessive intake increases risks of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Odele spoke on ‘Salt Target, Front-of-Pack Labelling as Policy Tools for Combating Non-Communicable Disease Burden.’
Also, Dr Jerome Mafeni, Technical Advisor, Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), emphasised that nutrition labelling is one of the policy tools that can support healthy diets.
Mafeni noted that the Back of Pack label nutritional information widely available in the country is not legible for consumers to easily read, urging manufacturers to improve on it.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Oluwafemi Akinbode, said the training was designed to equip journalists and media practitioners with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively report and advocate for policies that promote healthier food environments in the country.
