By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – CIVIL Society Organisations, Tuesday, raised the alarm over the huge number of Nigerians being killed by uncontrolled salt consumption.

The Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, during a media conference tagged ‘Healthy Diet: Set Salt Targets to Expand Access to Healthy Food’, organised by CAPPA in collaboration with Network for Health Equity and Development, NHED, Global Health Advocacy incubator, GHAI,

in his address, said, “Presently, Nigeria records an estimated daily salt consumption reaching up to 

5.8grams per day, dangerously exceeding the World Health Organization’s, WHO,

recommended limit of two grams of sodium per day or less than five grams of salt per day, which is equivalent to just one teaspoon of salt daily. 

“According to the NonCommunicable Diseases Alliance, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease are the primary cause of death and disability worldwide. 

“Hypertension, mainly caused by an increased intake of salt or sodium, accounts for 12 per cent of deaths in Nigeria.

“These alarming statistics are not surprising given the significant changes in the Nigerian diet over the past decade. The influx of processed foods and seasonings 

loaded with high sodium on local market shelves and the growth of unhealthy fast-food outlets has led to a nutritional transition in the country that poses a grave risk to public health. 

“Added to this risk is the recent reports of unbranded and unmeasured seasoning overtaking the markets in Northern Nigeria. 

“In no distant time, the woes of these unchecked sales of Monosodium glutamate will manifest.

“Our desire, in line with our commitment and pact, is to hep the public understand the dangers of their choices when it comes to food and to constantly engage with government to put in place the relevant legislations to protect Nigerians.

“To protect Nigerians, the Federal Ministry of heath and Social Welfare (FMHSW) and National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) must take proactive steps to formulate healthy food policies and enforce them within the country.

“It is also imperative for competent agencies responsible for legislation and implementation of food safety standards in Nigeria to develop effective strategies for the regulation of large food industries, SMEs, and street food vendors, to set mandatory salt limits for all food products incompliance with global best practices.

“This will not ony aid the enforcement of existing regulations like the #TransfatFreeNigeria regulation, but it will aso provide room for advancing complimentary regulations that will take away foods that are injurious to our health.

“As the yuletide beckons, many Nigerians will go back home with large quantities of these products innocently,trusting that the government has done the needful.

“It is therefore imperative that we call on the government, especially the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and NAFDAC to prioritise policy on mandatory salt targets in Nigeria. Achieving this will ensure that more Nigerians eat healthy and nutritious food while boosting our nation’s heath for shared prosperity”, he said.