The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of reading food labels before purchasing packaged foods to make healthier dietary choices and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.
Speaking at the launch of the Read the Food Label Campaign in Abuja on Friday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said food labels provide important information on the nutritional content and safety of products and should be consulted before purchase.
“The ability of consumers to understand, interpret and apply information on food labels has never been more important,” she said
According to her, excessive consumption of foods high in sugar, salt, saturated fats and trans fats has contributed to the rising cases of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and other diet-related illnesses in Nigeria.
Prof. Adeyeye noted that the campaign, organised in collaboration with development partners, aims to improve nutrition literacy and empower consumers to make informed food choices.
“Reading food labels should become a routine practice for all consumers, stressing that better awareness of nutritional information would support efforts to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases in the country,” she added.