Heart Health: Bouillon Fortification Could Undermine Salt Reduction Efforts – CAPPA

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has cautioned the federal government against making bouillon fortification mandatory, warning that the policy could encourage consumption of ultra-processed foods and undermine efforts to reduce Nigerians’ sodium intake.

CAPPA, in a statement to mark the 2026 World Heart Day, said Nigeria was already facing an unhealthy food environment, with foods high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats increasingly common in everyday diets.

The organisation said its ‘Junk on Our Plates’ report, based on monitoring in seven states, documented how food and beverage companies use advertising, celebrity endorsements, cultural imagery, pricing strategies and product placement to promote unhealthy products, particularly among children, young people and low-income communities.

It said diets high in salt, added sugars and saturated fats increase the risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke.

CAPPA said excessive sodium was of particular concern because it contributes to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It cited the World Health Organisation’s recommendation that adults consume less than 2,000mg of sodium daily, equivalent to less than five grammes of salt.

The organisation said adding vitamins and minerals to ultra-processed products such as bouillon cubes does not make them healthy or eliminate concerns over excessive sodium, sugar or unhealthy fats.

It also rejected the argument that the widespread consumption of bouillon cubes makes them an appropriate vehicle for mandatory fortification.

According to CAPPA, the popularity of such products should instead prompt closer scrutiny of their nutritional composition and potential health effects.

It warned that making a heavily consumed processed product more nutritionally appealing without addressing its sodium content could undermine efforts to reduce salt consumption.

CAPPA urged the government to prioritise access to affordable and nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, while strengthening measures to reduce excessive sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats in processed foods.

It also called for stronger implementation of sodium-reduction measures, mandatory and easily understood front-of-pack warning labels and tighter regulation of unhealthy-food marketing.

Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said Nigerians should be able to flavour their food without compromising their health.

“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,” he said.

“Protecting the heart also involves protecting the food environment. Adding micronutrients to an unhealthy product does not make it healthy.”

CAPPA urged the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that nutrition policies are guided by independent public-health evidence and the long-term interests of Nigerians.