The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called on Nigerians to carefully examine food labels before purchasing packaged products, describing the practice as essential for making healthier dietary decisions.
The agency made the appeal on Friday during the unveiling of its Read the Food Label Campaign in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC director-general said food labels provide critical details about the nutritional content and safety of products, enabling consumers to make informed choices.
According to her, the growing consumption of foods with excessive sugar, salt, saturated fats and trans fats has contributed significantly to the rising cases of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable illnesses across the country.
She explained that the awareness campaign, organised in collaboration with development partners, is aimed at improving public understanding of nutritional information and encouraging healthier eating habits.
Adeyeye urged Nigerians to make checking food labels a regular habit before buying packaged foods.
“The ability of consumers to understand, interpret and apply information on food labels has never been more important,” she said.
She added that increased awareness of nutritional information would help consumers make healthier food choices and ultimately reduce the burden of diet-related diseases in Nigeria.
