‘Read Food Labels Before You Buy’ – NAFDAC Issues Fresh Warning to Nigerians

• NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye has urged Nigerians to make reading food labels a habit, warning that unhealthy diets and excessive consumption of sugar, salt and fats are driving the rise in non-communicable diseases across the country.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of reading food labels before purchasing packaged foods.

Speaking in Abuja during the launch of the Read the Food Label Campaign, organised by NAFDAC in collaboration with development partners, Adeyeye warned that unhealthy diets are contributing to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.

According to her, food labels are not merely regulatory requirements but important public health tools that help consumers make informed and healthier choices.

“Reading food labels should become a shared responsibility. Everyone who purchases food should make it a habit to read food labels before making a purchase,” she said.

The NAFDAC boss revealed that a childhood reaction by her son to a food additive inspired her to start checking food labels whenever she shops.

“Whenever I go shopping, I immediately check the sugar content, sodium level and other nutritional information,” she added.

Adeyeye warned that excessive consumption of foods high in sugar, salt, saturated fats and trans fats has significantly contributed to the rising cases of:

• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Other non-communicable diseases

Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), she said non-communicable diseases account for about 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria, with cardiovascular diseases responsible for the largest share.

She explained that the Read the Food Label Campaign is a long-term public health intervention aimed at improving nutrition literacy and encouraging Nigerians to make healthier dietary choices.

Also speaking at the event, Dike Ojji said unhealthy diets have become a major contributor to chronic illnesses in the country and stressed the importance of proper food labelling.

Meanwhile, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Salisu Maiwada, pledged to take the campaign to schools and communities across the country.

The campaign forms part of NAFDAC’s broader efforts to improve nutrition awareness, promote healthier eating habits and reduce the growing burden of diet-related diseases among Nigerians.