NAFDAC launches ‘Read the Food Label’ campaign to combat NCDs

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has launched the “Read the Food Label” campaign to empower Nigerians to make informed food choices.

NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, flagged off the campaign in Abuja on Friday, describing food labels as critical public health tools.

She said the campaign will include public education, regulatory compliance training, and surveys to promote transparency and consumer safety.

Adeyeye stressed the need to reduce salt in processed foods to prevent vascular diseases. She also called for a national culture of reading food labels, with support from the media, manufacturers, and other stakeholders.

The campaign is supported by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA; Resolve to Save Lives; the Global Health Advocacy Incubator; the World Health Organisation, WHO; the University of Abuja, and other partners.

“The campaign aims to raise public awareness about the significance of reading and understanding food labels, and to empower consumers to make informed food choices,” Adeyeye said.

“Food labels are powerful public health tools that provide vital safety and nutritional information to help consumers stay healthier.”

She noted that many consumers struggle to interpret labels due to the wide variety of products in supermarkets. She said the campaign is urgent given Nigeria’s rising burden of non-communicable diseases, NCDs.

Adeyeye said NCDs account for about 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria, with salt, sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, and highly processed foods as major contributors.

“Effective use of food labels can have a direct impact on disease prevention and management. It is a critical responsibility for all consumers,” she said.

She said the goal is to institutionalise a national culture of reading food labels to guide better food choices.

“The campaign complements existing regulations and seeks to create healthier food environments. It aligns with international commitments to empower consumers through better health and nutrition information,” she added.

Adeyeye called on government agencies, healthcare professionals, academia, civil society, industry, and consumer groups to support the campaign.

*WHO Backs Initiative*
WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, represented by Technical Officer for Nutrition, Dr. Pinda Wakama, said Nigeria, like many countries, faces a rapidly rising burden of NCDs.

He said the situation underscores the need for practical, nationwide interventions that help people make healthier food choices.

“The ‘Read the Food Label’ campaign is timely and strategic. It encourages consumers to understand nutrition information on packaged foods,” he said.

He added that the initiative will improve health literacy and expose harmful food products.

“By encouraging Nigerians to read food labels, NAFDAC is taking a practical step to address NCDs, including obesity and hypertension,” Ursu said.

“It also sends a strong signal to the food industry to improve transparency and reformulate products in line with national and global health recommendations.

“This campaign aligns with WHO’s global effort on NCD prevention, including salt reduction, improved food labelling, and promotion of healthy diets. We also support Nigeria’s efforts under the Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for NCD Prevention and Control.”

Also speaking, CAPPA Executive Director, Oluwafemi Akinbode, represented by Mr. Abayomi Sarumi, described the campaign as a timely step to empower Nigerians.

“Nigerian consumers are increasingly exposed to aggressively and deceptively marketed ultra-processed foods and beverages. Their consumption is worsening Nigeria’s NCD burden,” Sarumi said.

“Understanding what is in those products is a public health necessity. Reading labels helps consumers identify high levels of sugar, salt, trans fats, and other nutrients of concern that increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, and heart disease.”

He said the campaign aligns with CAPPA’s healthy food policy advocacy, which places public health at the centre of Nigeria’s food system.