Rising NCDs: Experts Warn FG Against Fortifying Ultra-processed Foods

Public health advocates under the Coalition for Healthy Food Advocacy and the National Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Coalition (NSSBTC) have warned the federal government against adopting ultra-processed foods as vehicles for food fortification, saying the move could worsen Nigeria’s already severe burden of diet-related diseases.

Speaking at a press briefing titled “Raising Attention to Public Health Dangers of Fortifying Ultra-processed Foods,” on Wednesday in Abuja, the coalition urged the government to urgently reassess its fortification strategy to ensure that nutrition policies do not unintentionally encourage unhealthy eating habits.

Technical Advisor at the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), Dr Jerome Mafeni, highlighted the contradiction in fortifying foods such as bouillon cubes, which are already high in sodium and widely consumed.

Nigeria is consuming nearly twice the recommended daily limit of sodium. Positioning a high-salt product as part of a nutrition solution is fundamentally contradictory, “he said.

He warned that fortifying such products could actually drive up consumption.

A fortified bouillon cube is still a high-sodium product. Micronutrients do not cancel out the health risks,” Mafeni added.

Dr Mafeni emphasised the need for coherence in policy design. “We cannot promote sodium reduction on one hand and normalise high-sodium products on the other. Public health policies must reduce risk, not repackage it,” he said.

Lead Researcher at the Cardiovascular Research Unit at the University of Abuja, Prof. Dike Ojji, underscored the severity of the situation.

Atherosclerotic diseases now account for 10–11 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria. Hypertension affects up to 30 per cent of Nigerians, largely driven by high salt consumption and increased intake of ultra-processed foods, he said.   He cautioned that Nigeria’s health system is already overstretched and will struggle to bear the long-term financial burden of chronic disease care.

While acknowledging that fortification is a proven public health tool, the coalition insisted that its success depends on the type of food vehicles selected.

Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the real concern is the direction Nigeria is taking.

We support food fortification. But fortifying instant noodles, sugary cereals, seasoning cubes, and refined flours creates a false impression, making unhealthy foods appear healthy. This misleads consumers and encourages higher consumption,” he said.

The coalition described this strategy as a double-edged sword—one that may address micronutrient deficiencies but simultaneously deepen long-term health risks.

It also raised concerns that fortification efforts led by industrial food systems could marginalise local farmers and undermine traditional diets.

“Lying on ultra-processed foods for fortification weakens food sovereignty and pushes nutrient-rich indigenous foods out of reach, “the group said.

They called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NAFDAC, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to urgently review current plans and align them with Nigeria’s goal of reducing sodium intake by 30 per cent by 2030.

The coalition also stressed that the burden of caring for NCD-affected family members falls disproportionately on women in low-income households.

Executive Director of Keen & Care Initiative, Josephine Alabi, noted that catastrophic health conditions such as stroke or heart disease often impose unpaid care responsibilities on women.

“Women and girls lose time, income and education opportunities because they bear the brunt of long-term caregiving,” she said.

Among its recommendations, the coalition urged the government to avoid using ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats as vehicles for fortification. Instead, it called for interventions that support healthy dietary choices rooted in nutrient-dense traditional foods.

Key policy actions proposed include introducing front-of-pack warning labels on unhealthy foods, restricting misleading ” fortified with “claims on high-salt or high-sugar products, prioritising biofortification of safe staple foods, supporting smallholder farmers and strengthening local food systems, and expanding sugar-sweetened beverage taxes and reinvesting proceeds into public health programmes.

In its final appeal, the coalition urged the government to adopt long-term, sustainable nutrition solutions grounded in local food systems and dietary diversity.

The coalition noted that Nigeria’s rapidly changing food landscape is contributing to an alarming rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

“Fortifying poison does not make it medicine, “the coalition warned.