Public health advocates have renewed calls for the adoption of clear Front-of-Package, FOP nutrition labels on processed foods, insisting that the measure has become critical to tackling Nigeria’s escalating burden of Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs.
Nigeria currently faces rising rates of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and obesity, conditions strongly linked to the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
According to health data, NCDs now account for 29 percent of all deaths in the country, a trend experts warn is being fuelled by aggressive marketing and widespread availability of unhealthy processed products.
In a recent commentary, Bukola Olukemi-Odele, Programme Officer for Cardiovascular Health and Food Policy at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), stressed that consumers urgently need clearer and more accessible nutrition information at the point of purchase.
She noted that existing back-of-pack labelling is often confusing, printed in small fonts, and difficult for the average shopper to interpret, especially in crowded markets where decisions are made quickly.
“Front-of-Pack labels offer quick, visible guidance that helps people identify foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats,” Olukemi-Odele said. “A simple, bold warning like ‘HIGH IN SUGAR’ can cut through marketing tactics and help families make healthier decisions.”
FOP labels, already adopted in several countries, present simplified symbols, colours, or text—such as black warning octagons, the red-amber-green traffic-light system, or Nutri-Score scales—to communicate health risks instantly, even for consumers with low literacy.
Advocates say the system does more than guide shoppers; it also pressures manufacturers to reformulate products by reducing unhealthy ingredients to avoid negative warnings on their packaging, ultimately improving the national food supply.
Olukemi-Odele argued that FOP labels are particularly important for lower-income and less-educated consumers, who often face the steepest barriers in understanding complex nutrition tables.
“Clear and visually striking labels can promote health equity by empowering all Nigerians—regardless of background—to make informed choices,” she added.
She urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOHSW) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC to prioritise a WHO-recommended, evidence-based FOP labelling policy as part of Nigeria’s strategy to combat diet-related diseases.