By Priscilla Osaje
An healthy food advocate and expert, Abayomi Sarumi, has called on the Federal Government to speed up its regulations aimed at protecting Nigerians from the dangers of unhealthy diets and improving healthcare of its citizens.
Sarumi, who is also the Associate Director, Food Justice and Healthy Food Policy Programme, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) gave the advice in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him, there are a lot of things to unpack, including legislative framework, regulatory processes, and more importantly policy directions to harness needed change, speed up processes and reposition the food environment.
The expert recalled that in 2023, Nigeria approved and gazetted its trans-fat regulations aimed at protecting Nigerians from consuming industrial produced trans fatty acids or partially hydrogenated oils.
He added that prior to that, the country imposed a N10/litre tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) while ongoing policy engagements are targeting different regulations.
“All these works are building up behind the scenes with one aim – to protect Nigerians from the dangers of unhealthy diets and improve our quality of life, but the government must change gears.”
The expert alleged that the producers of SSBs and other ultra-processed foods reinvented their products with names that enticed the consumer without spelling out the dangers.
“As we wait for government to speed it up, individuals must take charge too. Go beyond the pack of the road, read the food label. Beyond false claims in advertising, listen to experts. Beyond the fizzy drinks, prioritise healthy eating.
“What is more appalling is the nonchalant attitude of the producers of sugar-sweetened beverages and other ultra-processed foods. They claim that the dangers are not real while blaming consumers for making their choices.
“These are consumers that have been blatantly lied to through misleading adverts and bombarded with false nutritional information that tells half-truth,” the expert said.
According to him, they also make claims that are not substantiated, fund alternative research, and use the media against the public.
“They sit at policy tables to arm-twist the government through their well-planned Deny, Dilute, and Delay tactics. When it fails, they rally innocent citizens against the government.
“Their lies of paying taxes to help the economy do not reflect the pain of consumers who bear the cost of paying these taxes and their health problems.
“They turn the heat on the public when they support the government for policies that promote public health and use the vulnerable to expand their own wealth machine.”
The CAPPA associate director said recently, the CAPPA launched a video documentary called ‘Sweet Poison’ on the humongous dangers of consuming SSBs in Nigeria.
“SSBs are commonly called soft drinks in Nigeria. However, the impact of soft drinks on the health of consumers is a mockery of its common name.
“This documentary, ‘Sweet Poison’, is a tool for advocacy, sensitisation, and a record of the efforts of the growing coalition demanding for healthy food policies in Nigeria.
“It also revealed the lies that we live as a nation and further established the false narratives that have been forced down the throats of the people.
“In a simple manner, many people are aware of dangers that abound in many things they do, including consumption of ultra-processed foods but they don’t see the extent of damage.”
The expert revealed that in the opening minutes of the ‘Sweet Poison’ documentary, a beautiful university student mentioned that her ‘menses’ will take care of her excess sugar – as it is going to flow out with her period.
“After all, the monthly flow takes out the dirt in our body. In a similar way, an aged woman in the video admitted that there is no benefit to consuming sodas, but ‘it is to make oneself happy’.
“One would truly wonder, what is the real cost of this placebo happiness?
“The mounting evidence in science continues to show that there is no nutritional value in consuming SSBs, in fact, they are the easiest way to get excessive added sugar into your body – which causes blood sugar spikes, pushing your blood vessels to overwork.
“In the short term, this overwork increases your risk factor of non-communicable diseases and in the long term, a lifetime of managing chronic disease.”
The expert attributed the number of financial commitments to people living with non-communicable diseases within different families to a clearer picture of the real cost of healthcare.
“It must be noted that communicable disease is still growing in Nigeria while non-communicable diseases are also catching up.
“So, chronic diseases management is not an easy ride in Nigeria. Of course, it is not easy anywhere around the world.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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