The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has unveiled that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), encompassing heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease, are responsible for a significant proportion of fatalities in Nigeria, amounting to a quarter of all deaths.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
In a collaborative initiative involving the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), and Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), NAFDAC is redoubling efforts to eradicate Trans Fatty Acid (TFAs), a primary catalyst of NCDs, from the country’s food supplies….CONTINUE READING
Speaking at a press conference centered on the newly enacted regulations – Fats, Oil, and Food Containing Fats and Oil Regulation 2022 and Pre-packaged Food Labelling Regulation 2022 – held in Lagos, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye, underscored that NCDs contribute to a staggering 74% of global deaths.
In concrete terms, Adeyeye highlighted that over 36 million individuals succumb to NCDs yearly, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) emerging as the foremost cause, accountable for 17.5 million annual deaths.
In Nigeria, the prevalence of NCDs translates to approximately 25% of total fatalities. This unsettling reality results in a 20% probability of dying between the ages of 30 and 70 due to NCDs.
At the 2018 World Health Assembly in Geneva, Adeyeye pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the “REPLACE” action package, a collection of policy recommendations and interventions targeting global leaders.
Among these directives was the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils, the source of industrially produced TFAs, in all food items, along with the establishment of limits on industrially produced TFAs, restricting them to no more than 2% of total fat content in all foods.
In alignment with these guidelines, Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Trans-Fat Coalition Partners (CAPPA, GHAI, and NHED), has been diligently working to accomplish the twin-pronged objectives outlined in the initiative.
