NAFDAC Warns Nigerians About The Dangers Of Salt Consumption 

To avoid health difficulties, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has recommended Nigerians to cease consuming sodium (non-iodised salt).

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, offered the recommendation on Thursday at the University of Abuja, during a stakeholders conference on ‘Evaluation Implementation and Scale-up of Nigeria’s National Sodium Reduction Activities.

The meeting’s objectives, according to her, are to present the preliminary findings of the project’s first phase, which includes surveys conducted in the FCT, Ogun, and Kano, and to explore methods to scale up sodium (salt) consumption decrease in the country.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting was co-hosted by NAFDAC and the University of Abuja to lead in the implementation of sodium reduction in the country.

“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration in collaborations with state, and non-state actors using the scale-up of a national sodium reduction program in WHO’S SHAKE package.

“Purpose of this meeting is to increase awareness of the positive impact of sodium salt reduction on health in the food industry, amongst the policymakers, consumers and other stakeholders on the risk associated with high salt intake.

“Sodium is mainly consumed as salt (sodium chloride) which in the diet can come from processed foods, either because they contain large amounts of salt as ready meals, processed meats like bacon, Corn beef, and cheese.

“There are many mechanisms put in place by NAFDAC to promote and protect the health of our people and one of such is sensitization, well informed, and educated citizenry is the bedrock of effective regulation,” she said.

Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’allah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, urged all Nigerians to work with NAFDAC to minimize sodium consumption in order to avoid health risks.

According to Na’allah, excessive salt consumption may appear harmless, but it is linked to various noncommunicable diseases that are prominent in Nigeria, and that decrease is required.

He stated that a realistic effort to reduce salt intake across communities must include all parts of WHO’s SHAKE salt reduction package.