Fortifying Bouillon Cubes: A Risky Fix For Nigeria’s Nutrition Crisis
Adding iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 to seasoning cubes may appear to offer an easy response to Nigeria’s anaemia crisis.
But when the delivery vehicle is a sodium-heavy ultra-processed food, the cure could create another health problem.
Calls for mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes deserve careful scrutiny, particularly because of the risks associated with excessive sodium intake during pregnancy.
A single cube can contain up to 1,200mg of sodium, about 60 per cent of the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily limit.
Multiple cubes, often used alongside table salt, can push intake even higher.
For pregnant women, that matters. High sodium intake can increase the risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, while hypertensive disorders account for 16.7 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria, according to the piece.
There is also a bigger question: has bouillon fortification actually solved Nigeria’s micronutrient problem?
The article points out that despite voluntary fortification, anaemia among women increased from 24.3 per cent in 2001 to 55 per cent in 2021.
It also notes that 79 per cent of Nigerian households were food insecure in 2021.
Rather than making fortified seasoning cubes a central nutrition intervention, the writer argues for stronger sodium limits, front-of-pack labelling, affordable access to nutritious foods and wider provision of prenatal iron-folic acid and multiple micronutrient supplements.
Nigeria cannot solve poor diets simply by adding synthetic nutrients to processed foods.
A more sustainable response, the writer argues, lies in making diverse, nutritious whole foods accessible and affordable to families.
By Bukola Olukemi-Odele
Programme Officer, Sodium Reduction, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
Join Our WhatsApp Community
