As the world marks 2025 World Food Day, 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.

In a statement marking 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.

“Nigeria today confronts a stark and shameful reality: our country now ranks among the lowest globally in life expectancy, with average lifespans in the mid-50s,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director. “This tragic statistic is a wake-up call that exposes systemic failures across our food, health, and social systems, and demands urgent policy and regulatory action.”

Oluwafemi expressed concern that corporations continue to expand their marketing web through digital and social media advertising, school sponsorships, celebrity endorsements, and cultural co-opting, all designed to make unhealthy products appear normal or aspirational. “Children and youth are especially vulnerable to these tactics,” he warned.

Citing CAPPA’s recent report, “Junk On Our Plates: Exposing Deceptive Marketing of Unhealthy Foods Across Seven States in Nigeria,” the statement noted how multinational and local food and beverage corporations employ aggressive, misleading, and culturally targeted marketing to normalise the consumption of ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium products across the country.

According to the report, the industry employs a range of deceptive practices that undermine consumers’ right to clear information for healthy food choices, including misleading nutrition claims, manipulative labelling, and promotions tied to social events, religious gatherings, and school activities. It further highlights how these tactics are concentrated in low-income communities where nutritious options are scarce, worsening existing inequalities.

“These strategies not only promote unhealthy products but also erode Nigeria’s traditional food culture,” Oluwafemi said. “We cannot address our declining life expectancy or the growing epidemic of NCDs without confronting this toxic marketing environment head-on.”

To stem the tide, CAPPA outlined several urgent policy interventions. These include Front of Pack Labelling (FOPL), an effective tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), sodium reduction targets, restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks, especially to children, an increase in tobacco taxes, and restrictions on the marketing of smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine products.

It said evidence shows that well-designed front-of-pack labelling helps consumers make healthier choices and encourages food manufacturers to reformulate products. “Mandatory FOPL should be adopted nationwide as a first step toward healthier purchasing decisions,” CAPPA said.

It advocated for effective taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), saying it is effective to reduce consumption, improve healthy dietary behaviours and generate public revenue that can be reinvested in health and nutrition programmes.

The statement added: “Excessive sodium in the food supply drives hypertension, heart disease and premature death. Nigeria must adopt mandatory sodium reduction targets for processed and pre-packaged foods to reduce salt intake and save lives.

“Furthermore, children and other vulnerable groups must be protected from unhealthy diets; hence, we are calling for a comprehensive ban on marketing of ultra-processed foods to children, including in virtual reality platforms.

“Tobacco and nicotine policies are central to improving life expectancy. Sustained increases in tobacco taxes remain the single most cost-effective measure to reduce tobacco use and prevent premature deaths. Equally, marketing of smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine products, particularly on social media and platforms popular with youth, must be strictly restricted to prevent nicotine dependence among children and young people.”

CAPPA emphasised that these evidence-based measures will not only improve population health but also reduce healthcare costs, strengthen productivity, and contribute to a more equitable, peaceful, and food-secure Nigeria.

“As we mark World Food Day 2025, we must put people before profit,” Oluwafemi concluded. “By implementing healthy food policies and regulations, Nigeria can move decisively toward a future where every citizen, especially our children, can live longer, healthier, and more dignified lives.”