.Task media On salt reduction campaign
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and other stakeholders have disclosed that ailments associated with excess salt intake, such as hypertension, account for 12 in 100 deaths in Nigeria.
At a Journalism Training on Salt Reduction in Lagos, ahead of World Health Day (WHD) on April 7, Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, tasked civil society organisations to help the public understand the dangers of their choices, especially when consumption is driven by a gap in knowledge.
He said: “Nigeria records an estimated daily salt consumption reaching up to 5.8 grammes per day, which exceeds the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommended limit of two grammes of sodium per day or less than five grammes of salt per day, equivalent to just one teaspoon of salt daily.
“According to the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance, NCDs, such as Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), are the primary cause of death and disability worldwide. Hypertension, mainly caused by increased intake of salt or sodium, accounts for 12 per cent of deaths in Nigeria.”
Noting that the role of journalists is critical for a successful salt reduction campaign, he charged the media to be eagle-eyed on the industry’s antics to hoodwink the public, as it pursues its profit-making goal.
“As journalists, you have key roles to play in this campaign to achieve the necessary salt reduction target for a healthy nation. You also must help Nigerians understand the gimmicks of the food production industry that promote unhealthy foods as the norm,” he added.
In the campaign to reduce salt intake, salt producers will fight back, says the Technical Advisor, NHED, Dr Jerome Mafeni, in his paper, ‘Salt Consumption in Nigeria and the Need for Policy Intervention’.
While admitting the importance of salt in enhancing food flavour and as a natural preservative, he warned that excessive salt intake could have adverse health effects.
According to Mafeni, by implementing mandatory salt reduction targets, we not only address the immediate health risks associated with high sodium consumption, but also pave the way for long-term benefits in reducing the burden of cardiovascular and other diseases.
Vanessa Alfa of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) Cardiovascular Research Unit, presenting a research work, ‘Nigerian Sodium/Salt Consumption patterns and Nigerian Perspectives on Salt’ by Nigeria Sodium Study (Na+SS), noted that increased consumption of unhealthy processed foods, particularly those high in sodium, is a major risk factor for
CVDs.
She pointed out that CVDs caused an estimated 100,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2017.
To control hypertension and other CVDs, she recommended reduction in sodium intake, adding that sodium reduction is a WHO ‘Best Buy’ strategy in addressing unhealthy diets in the population.
