From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
A Civil Society Organization, CSO, under the aegis of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has blamed food-making corporations on the rise in non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
The CSO noted that the non-communicable diseases currently account for about 30 per cent of all deaths annually in the country.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, CAPPA, states this at the opening of a two-day Journalism Training on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax and Industry Monitoring, held at BON Hotel in Kano, attributed the rise in the non-communicable diseases.
He attributed the problem to “the contributions of the ultra-processed food industry to this crisis food corporations use a sophisticated web of marketing strategies to lure Nigerians-especially children and young adults-into consuming ultra-processed foods that damage their health undermine public health policies, and cost the Nigerian healthcare system billions.”
According to Oluwafemi, Nigeria is facing escalating public health crisis which, he said, “is the rise of non-communicable diseases fuelled, in part, by dietary factors such as the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially SSBs and high-sodium foods.”
“Various studies have shown that debilitating diseases, once considered distinct concerns, are now the reality for coupless Nigerians draining their finances, straining our healthcare system, and threatening the well-being of our future generations.
“Non-communicable diseases currently account for about 30 per cent of all deaths annually in Nigeria. Noteworthy, is the contributions of the ultra-processed food industry to this crisis Food corporations use a sophisticated web of marketing strategies to lure Nigerians-especially children and young adults-into consuming ultra-processed foods that damage their health undermine public health policies, and cost the Nigerian healthcare system billions,” he added.
He lamented that the problem persists despite the introduction of the Sugar- Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax in 2021, imposing a N10 levy per litre on all non-alcoholic, sweetened and carbonated drinks.
The goal of the pro-health policy, according to Oluwafemi, is to discourage excessive consumption of SSBs, reduce Nigerians addiction to sugary drinks, and stem the rise in SSB-fuelled non-communicable diseases
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