Salt Awareness Week: Group urges Fed Govt to accelerate salt reduction targets regulation

A non governmental organisation (NGO), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal Government to accelerate the formulation of regulations for enforcing salt targets in processed and packaged foods.
This, according to the group, is critical to checkmating the country’s growing prevalence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
In a statement by CAPPA’s Media Officer, Robert Egbe, to mark World Salt Awareness Week 2025, the NGO referenced World Health Organisation (WHO) data showing that reducing salt intake was one of the most cost-effective measures countries could take to improve population health outcomes.
The WHO member states, the statement said, were on a plan to reduce the global population’s intake of salt by 30 percent by the end of this year. But most countries, including Nigeria, are unlikely to meet the deadline.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW), between seven and nine grammes of salt daily, far exceeding the WHO recommended limit of five grammes (equivalent to 2 grammes of sodium).
Consequently, no less than 10 percent of cardiovascular disease deaths in the country are attributed to excess sodium consumption. Sodium overconsumption has also been tied to the alarming rise in hypertension, now affecting over 35 per cent of adult Nigerians.
“This is too heavy a burden for the health sector to bear, and the issue is a major contributor to Nigeria’s alarming burden of noncommunicable diseases,” CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said.
He reaffirmed CAPPA’s support for the National Guideline for Sodium Reduction recently launched by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and urged the Ministry to ramp up support to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is drafting the regulations.
The statement noted that cultural practices, rapid urbanization, deceptive marketing, and changing lifestyles were tilting Nigerians’ dietary patterns towards ultra-processed foods, which are high in sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
“This makes the need for mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on food packages a necessity. Furthermore, manufacturers should also be compelled to reformulate their recipes to reduce the salt content of their products without compromising quality,” the statement added.
World Salt Awareness Week is observed from May 12th to 18th and aims to raise awareness about the impact of excess salt intake on health and promote healthy dietary habits.