The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Mojisola Adeyeye, on Tuesday warned Nigerians against excessive sodium consumption, linking it to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Adeyeye gave the warning during a stakeholders’ engagement on the draft Reduction of Sodium in Pre-Packaged Foods Regulations 2026, where she described high sodium intake as one of the leading dietary risk factors for preventable deaths globally and in Nigeria.
She cited guidance from the World Health Organisation, which identifies sodium reduction as one of the most cost-effective interventions to improve population health and reduce premature mortality from NCDs.
Providing context, the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at NAFDAC, Eva Edwards, revealed that, “Nigerians consume an average of about 10 grams of salt daily, nearly twice the WHO recommended limit of 5 grams (equivalent to less than 2 grams of sodium per day).”
She added that data from the National Multi-sectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2019–2025) shows sodium intake in Nigeria ranges between 2.85g and 10g per day, underscoring the urgency of intervention.
According to global health estimates, NCDs account for roughly 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria, with cardiovascular diseases contributing a significant share—figures experts say are worsening due to dietary transitions.
Speaking earlier, the NAFDAC DG, Adeyeye, attributed the trend in overconsumption of sodium to rapid urbanisation, changing diets and increased reliance on processed and pre-packaged foods.
“Pre-packaged foods now form a growing share of daily diets, especially in urban areas. While convenient, they contribute significantly to excessive sodium intake,” she said.
Public health experts at the meeting, including representatives from the Cardiovascular Unit of the University of Abuja, warned that high sodium consumption is directly linked to hypertension, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure.
To address the problem, NAFDAC is proposing new regulations that will: “set maximum sodium limits for selected food categories, mandate clear labelling of sodium content and encourage gradual reformulation of products by manufacturers.”
The policy includes a phased reduction strategy, beginning with a 15 per cent cut in sodium levels, and aligns with the WHO global target of a 30 per cent reduction in population sodium intake by 2030.
Adeyeye stressed that regulation alone would not be sufficient without industry cooperation.
“The food industry plays a central role in reformulating products while maintaining quality and safety,” she said, adding that regulators, researchers, and consumer groups must also ensure compliance and monitoring.
Civil society organisations such as Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa and Network for Health Equity and Development, which supported the engagement, also called for urgent action to curb diet-related diseases.
Adeyeye described sodium reduction as a “national health priority,” warning that failure to act could worsen Nigeria’s already strained health system.
“By taking decisive action today, we are protecting future generations from preventable diseases,” she said.
She added that inputs from stakeholders would be incorporated into the draft before it is forwarded to the NAFDAC Governing Council and later reviewed by the health ministry and the Ministry of Justice prior to gazetting.
