Healthy Eating: Regulator cautions Nigerian consumers against excessive salt intake

*The National Agency for Food And Drug Administration and Control reveals though consumption of excess salt may seem harmless, the habit is linked to several prevalent non-communicable diseases in Nigeria

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Soliciting for the support of the food industry to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in consumer products, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against excessive consumption of sodium (non-iodised salt) to avoid the growing risk of cardiovascular disease in the country.

ConsumerConnect gathered Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, made the call at the recent Nigeria Sodium Study stakeholders’ meeting at University of Abuja (UniAbuja), in Abuja, FCT.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC

Nigeria Sodium Study organised the programme in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Centre of the University of Abuja, George Institute for Global Health, NAFDAC, Federal Ministry of Health and Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine.

The NAFDAC Director-General urged the food industry in Nigeria to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in products amid a “growing epidemic of preventable, diet-related conditions” in the country.

Prof. Adeyeye noted that consumers are currently having difficulty limiting their intake of salt as recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Habitual consumption of excess salt may seem harmless, but it is linked to several non-communicable diseases which is prevalent in Nigeria.

“A meaningful strategy to reduce salt consumption across populations must contain all elements of the shake salt reduction package developed by WHO,” said she.

Adeyeye further stated: “The cooperation of food manufacturers, processors, importers, and the restaurant sector in lowering the amount of salt in food supply will enable consumers to access a reduced salt diet.”

According to the health agency, a successful salt reduction programme would require action by all relevant stakeholders.

Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, Vice-Chancellor of UniAbuja, at the forum lamented that Nigeria has so many problems and the dangers of taking excessive salt is one of them.

Cautioning consumers against eating salt and other sodium products, Prof. Na’Allah said  working with the regulatory agency would definitely make a difference for Nigerians.

‘It is dangerous to human health’ ─NAFDAC Public Affairs Director

ConsumerConnect also recalls that NAFDAC had announced the consumption of non-iodised salt “is dangerous to human health.”

Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, Director of Public Affairs of the agency, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria September 2019, in Abuja, FCT.

Jimoh stated this while responding to the rumour making the rounds, that some people in the rural communities were still consuming the local salt, which was not processed.

The consumption of such local salt could lead to goiter and other dangerous diseases to human health, said NAFDAC Director of Public Affairs.

As he urged Nigerians to do away with the product, Jimoh noted there are four areas where traditional salt is still being traded, particularly in Nasarawa State of Nigeria.

He said: “NAFDAC is making effort to stop the trading of this salt in these states but some of them have refused.

“With the creation of NAFDAC in 1993, that was the first time and there was still major work to be done on salt consumption.

“We have organised sensitisation workshop on universal salt iodinsation.

“We have been educating Nigerians that we should not be consuming this local salt because it is not iodine.”

Kindly Share This Story