Corporate Accountability for Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and Network for Health Equity and Development ( NHED) has called for collaboration with relevant government agencies to establish clear guidelines and targets for salt reduction in different food categories.
Technical Advisor (NHED), Dr Jerome Mafeni, made the call during the press briefing on health diet in Abuja, yesterday.
Jerome said excessive salt consumption has become a pressing public health concern in Nigeria, contributing to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke.
He urged the federal government to expedite the development and enforcement of regulations for salt targets in processed foods.
He noted that the studies have shown that high salt intake is a major risk factor for these diseases, and it is estimated that NCDs account for 29% of all deaths in Nigeria also explained that high salt intake is directly linked to increased blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor leading to untimely death.
