By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
As the world marks World Food Day 2025, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged governments at all levels to implement comprehensive food policies that protect Nigerians from the growing threat of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and unhealthy beverages.
This was contained in a statement signed and issued by Media and Communication Officer, CAPPA, Robert Egbe.
In a statement to commemorate the day, the organisation warned that more Nigerians, particularly children, adolescents and young adults, are being aggressively targeted with unhealthy diets that are not only nutrient-poor and heavily processed but also deceptively packaged and marketed as healthy and convenient.
“The result is a worrying nutrition transition away from traditional, wholesome diets toward unhealthy dietary patterns that fuel the country’s rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure,” CAPPA said.
Observed annually on October 16, World Food Day commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. This year’s theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” underscores the need for cooperation and evidence-based policies to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food. CAPPA argued that healthy food policies are critical to achieving this goal and creating a peaceful, sustainable, and food-secure future.
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