Silent Killers on Our Shelves: Why Nigeria Needs Nutrient Profiles, Models

By Bukola Olukemi-Odele

A mother walks into a store to buy a healthy snack for her child. The shelves are stocked with snacks, chocolates, and drinks, all featuring brightly coloured packaging adorned with child-friendly cartoon characters. She picks an item that displays bold nutrition claims, such as “fortified with brain-boosting vitamins for growth and vitality.”

This imagery gives her confidence that she is making a healthy choice for her family. However, it does not disclose the hidden sugars, excessive sodium, and unhealthy fats that could negatively impact her child’s health. This scene plays out daily in markets and shops across Nigeria, where consumers are bombarded with expertly crafted messages that make processed and prepackaged foods and drinks appear healthier than they are.

Nigeria is currently undergoing a significant nutritional shift from traditional, nutrient-dense diets to processed and prepackaged foods. This change has resulted in a public health crisis marked by a steady rise in the burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, all of which coexist within the same households.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of premature deaths worldwide, accounting for 74 percent of all deaths and resulting in approximately 41 to 43 million fatalities each year. A significant portion of these deaths—17 million—occurs prematurely among individuals aged 30 to 70 years, which represents their most economically productive years. Notably, 77 percent of these premature deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nigeria.

The prevalence of these NCDs in Nigeria underscores the urgent need for greater awareness and action regarding the food we consume. To address these challenges effectively, Nigeria must adopt and implement a Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) tailored to its unique food environment and culinary practices. The Nutrient Profile Model is a structured, evidence-based approach that classifies and ranks foods by nutritional composition. Understanding the nutritional content of food products is essential for making informed choices that can improve public health and nutrition outcomes.

Instead of relying on often confusing nutrition facts labels on the back of the pack or misleading marketing information, the NPM takes a holistic approach to assess food items. It identifies products that contain injurious amounts of salt, sodium, sugars, unhealthy fats, and other ingredients of concern, highlighting the need for front-of-pack labels that are visible at a glance and easy to understand, enabling consumers to make healthier food choices.

By using scientific evidence, NPMs score foods and create a transparent framework for public health policies. With a robust NPM in place, food manufacturers are incentivized to reformulate their products to meet health standards or risk alienating health-conscious consumers. This proactive approach encourages companies to reduce salt or sodium, lower sugar content, and replace unhealthy fats with healthier options to avoid warning labels.

The NPM clarifies the actual health impact of products, cutting through marketing tactics. For example, a drink may be promoted as rich in Vitamin C while concealing an excessive amount of added sugar per serving. The NPM translates complex nutritional science into straightforward information, enabling simple front-of-pack labels that consumers can easily interpret, regardless of status or literacy level.

Additionally, the NPM establishes regulations surrounding marketing targeted at children. Currently, advertisements for unhealthy products like sugary drinks and instant noodles are prevalent near schools. Without a defined NPM, the government cannot legally categorize junk food. However, an NPM would enable the government to set clear guidelines and limit aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to minors.

Advocating for a Nutrient Profile Model is fundamentally about promoting transparency, accountability, and the right to health. It ensures that when individuals in Nigeria spend their hard-earned money on food, they receive reliable and simplified information about the products they purchase. Now is the time for the Nigerian government to take decisive action to improve the food environment and safeguard the nation’s health.

Olukemi-Odele, a food scientist, is the Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Program Officer at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).