Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has called on the Federal Government to rethink any plan to make bouillon cubes a mandatory vehicle for micronutrient fortification and warned that adding vitamins and minerals to a highly processed food does not remove concerns about its sodium content.
The group made the call on Tuesday, September 29, to mark World Heart Day, turning attention to a policy question that sits at the intersection of nutrition, food regulation and cardiovascular health.
CAPPA said Nigeria should strengthen sodium-reduction measures, introduce mandatory front-of-pack warning labels and tighten restrictions on the marketing of foods high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.
What its position centres on is that fortification can add nutrients to a product, but it does not automatically make the product healthy.
“Adding micronutrients to an unhealthy product does not make it healthy,” CAPPA said in a statement signed by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe.
The organisation’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the popularity of bouillon cubes should not determine whether they become the preferred means of delivering additional nutrients to Nigerians.
“The widespread use of bouillon cubes is not a justification for exposing consumers to more sodium or for presenting ultra-processed products as solutions to Nigeria’s nutrition challenges,” Oluwafemi said.
The debate matters because sodium is not merely a dietary preference. Excessive intake can raise blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The World Health Organisation recommends that adults consume less than 2,000mg of sodium a day, equivalent to less than 5g of salt. WHO also identifies sodium reduction as one of its cost-effective measures for preventing non-communicable diseases.
WHO’s healthy-diet guidance specifically identifies bouillon and stock cubes among products through which salt can be added during cooking. It recommends limiting sodium while increasing consumption of foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
CAPPA said this makes the proposed direction of food policy important.
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Rather than relying heavily on an ultra-processed seasoning product to deliver micronutrients, the organisation wants nutrition programmes to expand access to affordable, minimally processed foods while addressing deficiencies through evidence-based interventions.
The group also called for clearer warning labels on packaged foods.
Front-of-pack warnings are intended to give consumers an immediate indication when a product contains excessive levels of nutrients of public-health concern. Such information can be particularly relevant where shoppers have little time to study detailed nutrition panels.
CAPPA further wants stronger controls on how unhealthy food products are promoted.
Its earlier ’Junk on Our Plates’ report examined food marketing across seven Nigerian states and documented the use of advertising, celebrity endorsements, cultural imagery, strategic product placement and labelling techniques to promote products high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats. The monitoring covered 54 communities.
That finding adds another dimension to the bouillon debate. The issue is not only what manufacturers put into a product, but also how consumers are encouraged to perceive and consume it.
CAPPA said government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare should ensure that nutrition policies are guided by independent public-health evidence.
The organisation also warned that tackling micronutrient deficiencies should not inadvertently increase dependence on ultra-processed foods.
As for consumers, the controversy points to a distinction that can easily be lost in nutrition campaigns: a product can be fortified and still require moderation because of its other nutritional characteristics.
As Nigeria observes World Heart Day under the theme “Don’t Miss a Beat,” CAPPA said cardiovascular protection should extend beyond hospitals and medicines to the food environment itself.
“Protecting the heart also involves protecting the food environment,” Oluwafemi said, calling for policies that make nutritious foods accessible and affordable while reducing exposure to excessive salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.
The organisation’s demand now places the Federal Government before a policy balancing act: how to address micronutrient deficiencies without weakening efforts to curb diet-related non-communicable diseases.
And as for CAPPA, the answer should not be to treat fortification as a substitute for a healthier food system.
