CAPPA urges Nigeria to curb aggressive junk food advertising

Stanley Ihedigbo

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called for stronger regulations to curb the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages in Nigeria, warning that urgent action is needed to address the growing burden of obesity and other diet-related diseases.

According to the Media & Communications Officer, CAPPA, Robert Egbe, the organisation made the call, while marking World Obesity Day 2026, themed “8 billion reasons to act on obesity.”

In a statement issued by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA described obesity as one of the most pressing global health challenges, noting that projections indicate nearly half of the world’s population, about four billion people, could be living with overweight or obesity by 2035.

The statement explained that Nigeria is not immune to the rising trend as rapid urbanisation, changing dietary habits, and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods continue to reshape the country’s food environment.

CAPPA warned that the widespread availability and aggressive promotion of foods high in sugar, salt and trans fats are significantly contributing to the growing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases across the country.

Citing data from the National Library of Medicine, the organisation noted that as of 2020, more than 21 million Nigerians aged 15 years and above were overweight, while over 12 million were classified as obese.

The group expressed particular concern about the targeted marketing of unhealthy food products to children and young people through television advertisements, digital platforms, in-school promotions and outdoor billboards, especially during festive periods.

CAPPA argued that such promotional strategies are deliberate efforts by food and beverage companies to influence children’s taste preferences early in life.

“The aggressive promotion of ultra-processed foods to children is deliberate,” the organisation said, citing its report titled Unhealthy Food Hijack of Festive Periods in Nigeria. “Food and beverage corporations are shaping taste preferences early to secure lifelong consumers, while the public bears the long-term health and economic consequences.”

To address the growing crisis, CAPPA urged governments at all levels to adopt and enforce policies restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children across all media platforms.

The organisation also renewed its call on the National Assembly of Nigeria to significantly increase the country’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to CAPPA, the current levy remains too low to meaningfully reduce consumption.

It is therefore recommended raising the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages tax to 50 per cent of the retail price, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

CAPPA said stronger fiscal policies would discourage excessive sugar intake while generating additional revenue that could be invested in public health programmes.
Beyond taxation, the organisation also emphasised the need for the introduction of mandatory Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) on food products to help consumers easily identify items that are high in sugar, salt or unhealthy fats.
Such warning labels, it noted, would enable Nigerians to make healthier food choices, counter misleading marketing strategies and encourage manufacturers to reformulate their products to meet improved nutritional standards.

In addition, CAPPA called for the development and enforcement of a comprehensive national salt-reduction policy, stressing that excessive sodium consumption is strongly linked to obesity and hypertension, conditions that affect millions of Nigerians and significantly increase the risk of stroke and heart disease.

As the global community reflects on the theme of this year’s World Obesity Day, CAPPA maintained that Nigeria has “millions of reasons” to act decisively against obesity.

“Protecting present and future generations from diet-related diseases requires effective policies, firm regulation and political will that puts people before profit,” the organisation stated.