Dr Joseph Ekiyor, a public health researcher and consultant, says excessive salt intake has been shown to cause high blood pressure, a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
Ekiyor said this on Wednesday at the Journalism Training on Salt Reduction, Nutrient Profile Models (NPM) and Front of Pack Warning Label (FOPWL), organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in Abuja.
“This is a meeting on mandatory salt reduction or setting mandatory salt limits on food groups. It is imperative because excessive salt intake has been shown by medical evidence to be linked to non communicable diseases.
“It has been shown to cause high blood pressure over time, and high blood pressure is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
“Cardiovascular diseases kill people in their millions globally every year. The statistics even says that close to 20 million people die in a single year from cardiovascular diseases. So, salt reduction will save life. It’s a life-saving intervention.
“As a matter of fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that of course, this is based on medical evidence, that reducing salt reduces the risk for hypertension.
“It doesn’t only do that. It also reduces the risk for complications due to hypertension in people who are already hypertensive.
“The WHO also goes further to say that a 30 per cent reduction in salt in our diets can save as much as 1.6 million lives. This shows that salt reduction is a life-saving intervention,” the public health researcher said.
According to him, the statistic says that in Nigeria, the average salt consumption per day is about 10 grammes, and then the recommendation by these global health entities is that salt should not exceed five grammes from what we eat on a daily basis.
“Going by the statistics, the average Nigerian takes salt in excess, and over time, that puts our health at risk.
“So, it is a policy that is pro-health. It is a policy that is pro-life, and that is why we’re talking about it,” the medical expert said.
He the only way forward was for people to reduce the amount of salts they have been taken.
“There are so many different types of foodstuff that has got salts. So what has been done is that food has been classified into different groups like bouillon cubes, bakery products and others
“Globally, this is not just a Nigerian thing, it’s a global thing. Globally, targets have been set as mandatory maximum limits as far as salt is concerned in different food groups.”
According to him, the amount of salt that is acceptable in bakery products is different from the amount of salt that is acceptable in other products.
“So, in the interest of health and in the interest of sanitising our food environment and making what gets on our plate healthy, there is a mandatory maximum limit that has been set by the WHO in the different food groups.
“It’s interesting to know that in Nigeria, we already have salt guidelines on how much salt is acceptable in the different food groups.
“But guidelines is soft law. But there’s a process in moving from guidelines to regulation. Hopefully, we’re going to get there.
“And when we have such regulations, then the government will be able to enforce these reductions and ensure that the average Nigerian can walk to a bakery and demands for bread that meets with the mandatory salt targets.
Speaking on the overview of the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines, Mr Femi Stephen, Food Safety Technical Lead, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said the guidelines was over 70 per cent completed.
Stephen said, “Let me say, 70, 80 per cent completed. Of course, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is also working on adjusting the standards in certain food categories, so that we can also have that.”
He urged the media to help government and other relevant stakeholders in their efforts to reduce salt intake to meet global standards.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the workshop was designed to give media practitioners the facts, the context, and the tools to interrogate these issues in their reports.
“As the agenda for this training shows, we will move from the science of salt and nutrient profiling to the tactics of industry interference and the practical ways journalists can influence policy and behaviour.”
