World Food Safety Day: CAPPA Urges Nigeria To Take Junk Off the Menu
As Nigeria joins the world to mark World Food Safety Day 2025, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has issued a wake-up call to governments at all levels: it’s time to get junk food off our plates.
In a strongly worded statement, the organisation warned that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – packed with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats – are quietly pushing out Nigeria’s traditional diets and replacing them with meals that offer little nutrition but come at a high cost to public health.
“Ultra-processed foods are a threat to our food safety, security and even sovereignty,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director. “Their dominance, especially in children’s diets, undermines our well-being and contributes to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.”
CAPPA is advocating for stronger policies, including Front-of-Pack Warning Labels, stricter sodium regulations, a more effective sugar-sweetened beverage tax, and the development of a Nutrient Profile Model. These measures, it says, are essential to reversing current health trends.
The group also raised concerns about the normalisation of junk food in schools, homes, and among displaced communities, where noodles and sugary drinks are becoming staples. CAPPA fears that this trend is not only making Nigerians sicker but also threatening indigenous food crops – many of which are now endangered.
A recent report by CAPPA, Junk on Our Plates, revealed how food and beverage companies are aggressively targeting young Nigerians with misleading labels and advertisements. Without proper regulation, the organisation warns, Nigerians will continue to struggle to make informed food choices.
“With the right policies in place, we can begin to reclaim our health and promote the kinds of food that nourish, not harm, us,” Oluwafemi said. “Food safety is more than just a health issue – it’s a matter of justice, survival, and national pride.”
As this year’s theme, ‘Food Safety: Science in Action’, suggests, CAPPA is urging policymakers to act on the science – and put the health of Nigerians first.
