By Fisayo Ogunsakin with agency reports
With nearly 30 percent of deaths in Nigeria linked to poor dietary choices and Non-communicable diseases(NCDs) , the Federal Government has launched Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) as part of a nationwide strategy to promote healthier eating and curb the rising tide of illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
This landmark announcement was made on Wednesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the National Technical Working Committee on FOPL, held by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health-focused organisations.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Daju Kachollom, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, represented by Dr. Okara Dogara, described FOPL as a transformative intervention under the National Policy on Food Safety and Quality and its 2023 Implementation Plan.
She said: “We’ve come together to pool our expertise and give voice to every Nigerian who deserves transparency and trust when choosing what to purchase and serve at their tables.”
Kachollom cited alarming statistics: nearly 30 percent of all deaths in Nigeria are caused by NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses. She added that for Nigerians aged 30 to 69, the risk of premature death from NCDs stands at 22 percent, putting pressure on families and the national health system.
FOPL, she explained, will simplify nutrition information on packaged food products through the use of easy-to-understand symbols, color coding, and brief texts. This is expected to empower consumers to quickly identify unhealthy food products high in salt, sugar, trans fats, and saturated fats.
“Whether it’s mothers in Kano identifying high salt content, students in Lagos avoiding trans fats, or fathers in Port Harcourt making informed choices, FOPL can save lives,” she said.
The new labelling policy builds on Nigeria’s recent Sodium Reduction Guidelines (March 2025) and the Trans Fat Elimination Regulations introduced by NAFDAC in 2022.
Also speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Pindar Wakawa, Technical Officer for Nutrition at WHO Nigeria, reiterated WHO’s position that FOPL is among the most effective regulatory tools for combating obesity and diet-related illnesses.
He referenced WHO’s 2018 Nigeria country profile, which shows that cardiovascular disease accounts for 11 percent of deaths and cancer 4 percent. He said:
“The overconsumption of unhealthy foods drives obesity, hypertension, and high blood sugar – all of which are leading risk factors for NCDs.”
Joy Amafah-Isaac, Nigeria Country Coordinator for Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), affirmed that Nigerians deserve the right to understand what is in their food. She announced that GHAI would support Nigeria’s FOPL efforts with technical assistance and a N500 million implementation fund spread over six years.
“Promoting healthy diets has a direct impact on national productivity and wellbeing,” she added.
In related efforts, civil society groups such as CAPPA (Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa) and health experts like American-based Nigerian scientist Dr. Terpase Gbaa have over the past year urged the government to mandate warning-style front-of-pack labelling to counter deceptive marketing by food manufacturers.
At a stakeholder roundtable hosted in Abuja last month by the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), nutritionists, policymakers and CSOs backed FOPL and sodium reduction as critical steps toward a healthier food system. Experts called for warning labels similar to those used in Chile, Brazil, and Kenya, where clear visuals like black octagons and traffic-light systems helped reduce the purchase of high-risk food items.
The newly inaugurated FOPL committee has been tasked with:
– Developing national labelling guidelines,
– Validating a nutrient profiling model,
– Reviewing global best practices for local application,
– Designing consumer education campaigns,
– Aligning policies with NAFDAC and SON standards,
– And overseeing implementation through a regulatory roadmap.
The initiative signals a coordinated shift by Nigeria towards evidence-based food policy reform, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing premature NCD-related deaths by one-third by 2030.
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