Foods from beginning of human existence are meant to nourish and sustain human lives.
The intention for taking meals was never to result in the lose of lives or terminal diseases.
But today in Nigeria and globally, what humans eat have become great poison and danger to their lives and existence.
Increasing intakes of salt or sodium, sugar and fatty foods have continued to be the reason why many Nigerians are increasingly sent to their early graves.
Diseases like hypertension, obesity, diabetes and other cardiovascular disorders have become rampant even among teenagers in Nigeria.
Deceptive products marketing to consumers, over the years, have become a major factor attracting Nigerians to consistently eat food items that eventually lead to their untimely deaths.
The marketers are so desperate to make maximum profits from their products in the face of non-governmental regulations, not minding how many Nigerians are dieing from consumption of their products.
The ugly situation in Nigeria has reached an alarming rate that Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has consistently engaged journalists towards fighting the menace.
The most recent was held in Abuja last Wednesday entitled "Journalism Training on Salt Reduction, Nutrient Profile Models and Front-of-Pack Labelling in Nigeria"
Painting clear pictures of the ugly trend, many speakers at the training workshop harped on the urgent need for journalists to play their roles in creating awareness and saving the lives of Nigerians.
Setting the tone for the training, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, noted that Nigerians consume nearly double of what the World Health Organization recommended for daily salt intake.
This, he said, has increasingly led to high risks of hypertension and other diseases in the country. .
"One of the leading risk factors for NCDs is excessive salt intake, which is often found in prepackaged and ultra-processed foods. These unhealthy products are aggressively marketed, including to children, by powerful food corporations whose motive is profit, no matter the cost to our health.". the CAPPA Executive Director stated
He therefore pushed for stronger policies on sodium reduction guidelines, nutrient profiling, and front-of-pack warning labels, among others
Also speaking at the workshop, a public health consultant / general physician, Dr Joseph Ekiyor, maintained that medical evidences have shown that excessive salt intake is strongly linked to cause of NCDs.
“It has been shown to cause high blood pressure over time, and high blood pressure is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
“Cardiovascular diseases kill people in their millions globally every year. The statistics even says that close to 20 million people die in a single year from cardiovascular diseases. So, salt reduction will save life. It’s a life-saving intervention.
“The WHO also goes further to say that a 30 per cent reduction in salt in our diets can save as much as 1.6 million lives. This shows that salt reduction is a life-saving intervention,” he stated
In Nigeria, Dr. Ekiyor said the average salt consumption per day is about 10 grams, while the global recommendation for daily salt intake should not exceed 5 grams.
Food Safety Technical Lead at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Femi Stephen, said moves are in top gears for Nigeria to reduce sodium consumption by 30 per cent by the year 2030.
Stressing that Nigeria’s average daily sodium intake currently stands at about 3.9 grams, nearly double of the WHO's recommended limit of 2 grams per day, he said excessive salt intake is increasing cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions in the country, which in turn is reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs.
Apart from other highly risky food items, he said “Our bread is significantly higher in salt compared to global benchmarks, and seasoning cubes contain extremely high sodium levels. These are everyday items consumed multiple times daily,”
To reduce the risk, he said "We are engaging schools, media platforms, and public institutions to drive awareness. Government facilities will also be encouraged to serve healthier, lower-sodium meals,”
He also urged the food industry to take responsibility by reformulating products, while consumers should start demanding healthier options.
According to him, the newly developed National Sodium Reduction Guidelines is part of a broader national food safety and quality policy aimed at addressing both food safety and nutritional risks.
Speaking on Salt Target, Front-of-Pack Labelling and Policy Tools for Combating NCDs Burden, CAPPA Programme Officer, Bukola Olukemi Odele, noted that urbanization is increasing the statistics for NCDs in the country as migrants abandon their local foods for food items in the cities high in Salt, sugar and fat.
Urging for Front-of-Pack Labelling on products, she said, Back-of-Pack Labelling should also be printed boldly in clear language for consumers to read and make wise decisions.
On his part, the Technical Advisor, Network for Health Equity and Development, Dr. Jerome Mafeni, said process is already on to establish foods nutrient profiling models in the country.
The profiling, according to him, will help to identify foods that are high in sodium.
While time is of essence, the concerned government agencies should speed up the process of getting widely consulted and investigation-based inputs and present an effective regulation proposal to the National Assembly.
Knowing that the issue has to do with stopping more Nigerians from being sent to their early graves through what they consume, the two chamber of the National Assembly are hereby urged to give the proposal accelerated consideration and passage when they get the document.
Also hoping that President Bola Tinubu will quickly make the document a law, its enforcement by the concerned government regulators should be carried out patriotically without fear or favour.
But before the government regulation is properly put in place, Nigerians should also save themselves from early graves and escape prolonged terminal diseases.
Despite the confusion many Marketers are causing with tiny and incomprehensible Back-of-Pack labels, Nigerians should begin now to pay more attention to what they eat and also check for boldly written Front-of-Pack Labelling in making their choices.
As much as possible, Nigerians should also try to go back and embrace the locally prepared meals their forefathers and parents eat in their times that made them to live healthier long lives without facing the current food challenges.
To really achieve this, Nigerians as much as practically should have gardens in their homes to at least plant crops and vegitables in natural ways.