A group of environmental activists and public health advocates, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged governments at all levels to prioritise effective food policies, food security and access in the interest of public health.
It stated this on the sidelines of the 2024 World Food Safety Day marked on Friday, June 7, 2024 with the theme: Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected, pointing out that failure of governments to prepare for the rainy day with regard to food security and sustainability ‘will create food crisis of unimaginable proportions.’
In a statement issued by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA commended the Nigerian government for its initiatives and efforts so far to improve food accessibility and affordability in the country, but noted that food safety remains a critical issue, nonetheless.
“Many Nigerians and local farmers are still unable to earn a livelihood from farming and thus improve the food supply chain due to unending armed conflicts and the varied impacts of climate change. This terrible situation has worsened food shortages, hunger pangs, and inflation across the country.
“More so, incidents of food adulteration, contamination, improper labeling, unverified food claims by producers and victimization of consumers by big food corporations continue to pose grave dangers to the economy, well-being and nutrition of vulnerable Nigerians,” the statement reads.
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The group restates the need for state authorities to enact and implement comprehensive laws and policies in the food and nutrition spectrum, not only to ensure adequate food regulatory oversight, but also to maintain vigilance that safeguards Nigerians and public health.
It also stressed that the overconsumption of salt and sugar has been linked to the increase of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases worldwide and causing socio-economic strains in Nigeria.
“CAPPA urges the government to reverse this negative trend by implementing food strategies and policies that promote access to healthier diets and spur producers to reformulate comestibles for the betterment of public health.
“Most importantly, we encourage the government to, among other viable measures, increase the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as well as set mandatory salt limits in food products to protect Nigerians from excessive consumption and tackle the alarming rise of obesity cases and NCDs in the country. These actions, which have been proven effective globally, can help Nigeria to boost and sustain its national food safety and wellbeing of the citizens.
“Above all, we ask Nigerians to be kind to themselves by prioritising their health and eating to live, not to die. People must watch their food consumption habits and patterns in ensuring that they consciously desist from the excessive consumption of sugar, salt and fats, which are associated with increased risk of NCDs,” the statement concluded.
