As the world marks World Food Safety Day 2026 today June 7, 2026, under the theme, “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere,” Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has renewed its call on the Nigerian government to adopt and implement stronger healthy food policies to protect citizens from the growing burden of diet-related diseases.
The organisation noted that while food safety is often discussed in terms of contamination, adulteration, and foodborne illnesses, truly safe food must also protect consumers from excessive levels of salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and harmful additives that are risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, kidney disease, and certain cancers.
In a statement to commemorate the day, CAPPA said Nigeria is facing a public health crisis driven by changing food environments and a nutrition transition that is seeing more Nigerians consume ultra-processed foods and beverages, alongside weak regulatory safeguards that leave consumers exposed to unhealthy products while allowing powerful food corporations to place profits ahead of public health.
“Food safety is not only about preventing food poisoning. It is also about ensuring that the foods and drinks available to Nigerians do not slowly undermine their health and wellbeing,” CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said. “Millions of Nigerians are living with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other diet-related illnesses that place enormous pressure on families, the healthcare system, and the economy. Moving from burden to solutions requires policies that prioritise public health over commercial interests.”
CAPPA commended the Nigerian Senate for passing a bill to reform and strengthen the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax framework, describing the move as a significant step towards reducing excessive sugar consumption and protecting public health.
The organisation urged the House of Representatives to expeditiously follow suit and transmit it to the President for assent.
“The Senate has demonstrated leadership by recognising that excessive consumption of sugary drinks carries serious health and economic consequences. We urge the House of Representatives to complete the legislative process without delay so that Nigeria can strengthen one of the most effective tools available for preventing non-communicable diseases.”
According to CAPPA, evidence from around the world shows that taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages reduce consumption, encourage product reformulation, and generate revenue that can be invested in public health programmes.
The organisation also renewed its call for the adoption of a national sodium reduction target, warning that excessive salt consumption remains one of the leading contributors to hypertension and cardiovascular disease in Nigeria.
It further charged regulators on implementing Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL) on packaged foods and beverages to help consumers make informed choices.
“Nigerians have a right to know when products contain excessive amounts of salt, sugar, or unhealthy fats. Front-of-pack warning labels are simple, effective, and evidence-based tools that empower consumers and encourage manufacturers to improve product formulations,” the group said.
CAPPA also called for comprehensive restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, noting that food and beverage companies increasingly target young audiences through television, digital media, influencers, schools, and sporting activities.
“Children deserve protection from sophisticated marketing practices designed to shape their food preferences and consumption habits. Public health must take precedence over corporate profits,” it added.
The organisation emphasised its opposition to proposals to fortify ultra-processed products such as bouillon cubes with an excessively high salt content.
While acknowledging the importance of tackling micronutrient deficiencies, CAPPA warned that fortification should not be used to create a false perception of healthfulness around products that contribute significantly to excessive sodium intake.
“Fortification should never become a public relations shield for unhealthy products. A product does not become healthy simply because vitamins or minerals are added to it,” Oluwafemi said
He emphasised that efforts to enhance food safety and nutrition should be informed by independent science and public health considerations, rather than industry influence.
CAPPA noted that resistance to healthy food policies often mirrors tactics previously employed by the tobacco industry to delay, weaken, or obstruct public health measures.
“For decades, the tobacco industry questioned scientific evidence, exaggerated economic fears, promoted voluntary measures over regulation, and positioned itself as a partner in health policy while opposing effective interventions,” Oluwafemi said. “Today, we are seeing similar patterns in efforts to resist measures such as front-of-pack labels, sodium reduction targets, restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, and stronger taxes on sugary drinks. Public health policy must be guided by science and the public interest, not by the commercial interests of industries whose profits depend on unhealthy consumption.
“Just as Nigeria refused to allow tobacco companies to write tobacco control policies, the ultra-processed food industry and its allies should not be allowed to dictate the terms of Nigeria’s nutrition policy.”
The organisation called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), lawmakers, consumer groups, and public health advocates to deepen their collaboration towards creating healthier food environments.
CAPPA added: “As we mark World Food Safety Day 2026, we must recognise that safe food is not merely food that is free from contamination. Safe food is food that nourishes rather than harms, protects rather than endangers, and supports healthy lives rather than fuels preventable diseases. “
