As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Food Day 2025, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) is calling on all levels of government to urgently implement comprehensive food policies to protect Nigerians—especially children—from the growing threat of ultra-processed foods and unhealthy beverages.
In a statement signed by CAPPA Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi and Media and Communications Officer Robert Egbe, the group warned that the Nigerian population—particularly young people—is increasingly targeted by marketing campaigns promoting highly processed, nutrient-poor food and drink products disguised as healthy and convenient options.
“The result is a worrying nutrition transition away from traditional, wholesome diets toward unhealthy dietary patterns fueling the country’s rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney failure,” the statement noted.
World Food Day 2025 Theme: “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”
World Food Day, celebrated every October 16, commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” emphasizes global cooperation and evidence-based action to ensure access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food for all.
CAPPA stated that achieving this goal in Nigeria requires urgent implementation of healthy food policies that address systemic challenges in the country’s food, health, and social systems.
“Nigeria today confronts a stark and shameful reality: our country now ranks among the lowest globally in life expectancy, with average lifespans in the mid-50s,” Oluwafemi stated. “This tragic statistic is a wake-up call that exposes deep policy failures.”
Unhealthy Food Marketing: Children at Risk
CAPPA raised alarm over aggressive marketing strategies employed by both multinational and local food and beverage corporations. These include digital and social media advertising, celebrity endorsements, school sponsorships, and cultural events that normalize the consumption of ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium products.
Citing CAPPA’s recent report titled “Junk On Our Plates: Exposing Deceptive Marketing of Unhealthy Foods Across Seven States in Nigeria,” the organisation described how these corporations exploit cultural norms and digital platforms to market harmful products to vulnerable populations, particularly children and adolescents.
“Children and youth are especially vulnerable to these tactics,” said Oluwafemi. “These marketing efforts not only promote unhealthy consumption but also erode Nigeria’s traditional food culture.”
CAPPA Recommends Urgent Food Policy Reforms
To reverse the trend and improve national health outcomes, CAPPA outlined several urgent policy actions, including:
-
Mandatory Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) to inform consumers and encourage healthier product choices.
-
Effective taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to reduce consumption and generate revenue for public health initiatives.
-
Mandatory sodium reduction targets for processed and packaged foods to cut salt intake and prevent hypertension.
-
Restrictions on marketing unhealthy food and drinks to children, especially in schools and youth-targeted platforms.
-
Increased taxes on tobacco, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and other nicotine products.
“Evidence shows that front-of-pack labelling helps consumers make healthier decisions and pushes manufacturers to reformulate products,” the statement emphasized. “This, along with taxes on sugary drinks and high-sodium foods, is critical to reducing diet-related diseases.”
A Call for Government Action and Policy Leadership
CAPPA concluded its statement by urging government leaders at the federal, state, and local levels to take bold action in developing and enforcing nutrition-sensitive policies that promote safe, healthy diets and curb the NCD epidemic.
“We cannot address Nigeria’s declining life expectancy or the rise in preventable diseases without confronting the toxic marketing environment and poor food regulation,” CAPPA said.
