Advocacy Group Links Aggressive Marketing of “Junk Food” to Nigeria’s Declining Life Expectancy
As the world marks World Food Day 2025, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on governments to implement comprehensive food policies to protect Nigerians from the health threats of ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages.
In a statement, the group’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, warned that aggressive and deceptive marketing is driving a dangerous “nutrition transition,” particularly among children and young adults, fueling a rise in non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
Oluwafemi linked this trend to Nigeria’s “stark and shameful reality” of having one of the world’s lowest life expectancies, which he called a “wake-up call” demanding urgent regulatory action.
Citing a recent CAPPA report, the statement detailed how corporations use digital advertising, school sponsorships, and celebrity endorsements to normalize unhealthy products and erode traditional food cultures.
To stem the tide, CAPPA outlined urgent policy interventions, including:
- Mandatory Front-of-Pack Labelling to help consumers make healthier choices.
*An effective tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) to reduce consumption and generate health revenue.
* Sodium reduction targets for processed foods to combat hypertension.
* Restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods, especially to children.
The group emphasized that these evidence-based measures are critical to ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all Nigerians, aligning with this year’s World Food Day theme: “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.”