Medical experts and health advocates have warned that excessive sodium intake is the leading risk factor for hypertension and heart diseases, driving a surge in stroke cases and complicating other non-communicable diseases.
The experts also expressed worry that consumers lack clear and truthful nutrition information about sodium to guide their intake in every food category, especially as many packaged food products exceed safe sodium levels for humans.
They called on the Nigerian government to accelerate policies on clear front-of-pack food labelling to help consumers make informed dietary choices.
The call was made at a media roundtable in Abuja, where the Network for Health Equity and Development, NHED, in partnership with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, gathered journalists to examine the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines and the risks of high salt diets.
High sodium in the blood, spikes the pressure, aggravates cardiovascular diseases, says Dr Koseph Ekiyor, an emergency room medical doctor and a health researcher.
Dr Ekiyor said although the call is not for the total removal of salt from diets, individuals must adopt a minimalist approach to salt intake. “We’re not saying avoid it completely, salt is essential to the body but reduce what you’re currently taking.
His position is on the backdrop of World Health Organisation, WHO data indicating that about 1.6 million lives could be saved globally every year if sodium intake is reduced by at least 30%.
”Processed and store-bought food from bread to beverages often contain hidden sodium, even beer contains sodium additives like sodium benzoate, people need to know this. We’re not saying avoid it completely, salt is essential to the body but reduce what you’re currently taking, Ekiyor advised.
Making a case for sodium reduction and Front-of-Pack Warning labels, Food Scientist and sodium reduction technical consultant, John Tehinse said the government must be held accountable to bring this notice to the public.
“The solution starts with policy, backed by political will. We need sustained awareness and the media has a crucial role to play.”
He noted that manufacturers must now work within safe limits and ensure Front-of-Pack Warning Labels, FOPWL, to inform Nigerians of the nutrient information in a food product and easily identify high-salt, high-sugar contents.
Tehinse a member of the Nigerian sodium reduction technical working group, noted that the national target is to see salt in processed foods by 15% by 2026 and 30% by 2030.
”We have identified 34 priority food categories and working with industries to reformulate products to reduce salt content. We also studied our local food habits, bread, bacon and processed meats that Nigerians consume a lot. We are not saying stop eating them but be conscious, ”Tehinse said.
Re-echoing the alarm, the Country Director of NHED, Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, warned that the Nigerian food environment is flooded with invisible risks.
”The media must spotlight these issues, not just for awareness but to push for solutions that protect the health of Nigerians,” he said.
The Country Coordinator for Global Health Advocacy Incubator, GHAI, Joy Amafah, noted the need for policy intervention to address gaps in Nutrition Profile Modelling, FOPWL and sodium reduction strategies.
She said Nigeria’s problems in sodium-related diseases began when many due to modernisation shifted from traditional, nutrient-rich diets to ultra-processed products (UPPs, resulting in the increase in non-communicable diseases, NCD burden.
“We are now consuming more products with minimal nutritional value and high salt, sugar, and trans fats, driven by aggressive marketing. The media must expose this,” she said.