CAPPA Raises Alarm over Saturated Unhealthy Foods in Nigeria

Sunday Ehigiator

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has raised alarm on how food corporations allegedly use sophisticated web of marketing strategies to get Nigerians, especially children and young adult, hooked on ultra-processed foods which damage their health, undermine public health policies, and cost the Nigerian healthcare systems billions.

The organisation made these revelations at a press conference recently held in Lagos, where it also launched a report titled ‘Junk on Our Plates: Exposing Deceptive Marketing of Unhealthy Foods across Seven States in Nigeria’.

The findings showed that through “aggressive marketing, cultural co-optation, celebrity endorsements, and deceptive labelling, the corporations had entrenched ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium products in Nigeria’s food environment, targeting children, youth, low-income communities, and cultural identities to drive sales.”

CAPPA acknowledged the Nigerian government’s “bold steps” to confront the challenge by, for example, introducing the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax of N10 per litre on SSBs aimed at discouraging their excessive consumption and reducing the risk of diet-related diseases.

It noted further that in 2023, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) followed up with regulations on transfats and pre-packaged food labelling, while in March 2025, the government launched the National Guideline for Sodium Reduction, a strategic policy meant to tackle the excessive salt content in packaged foods, a major driver of high blood pressure and heart disease in the country.

Speaking to the report, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, noted that: “The food and beverage industry continues to exploit loopholes. They use covert marketing, target children, and take advantage of weak enforcement of existing regulations to flood the market with unhealthy products, tactics reminiscent of the deadly strategies long used by the tobacco industry.

“In some cases, they also take advantage of weak border controls and ignore product standards altogether.”

CAPPA warned that the widespread promotion of these foods, high in saturated fats, salt, and sugar (HFSS), is increasingly redefining global dietary patterns and impacting public health.

“Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions linked to their excessive consumption have also risen, highlighting the need for stronger public health interventions to balance the food industry’s influence with consumer well-being,” the NGO said.