The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has called on the federal government to put in place healthy food policies to encourage healthy diet among Nigerians.
“In Nigeria, nearly 30 percent of annual deaths are due to NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart diseases, stroke, cancer, and oral health diseases, among a long list.“In understanding this public health challenge, scientific studies and evidence have increasingly identified and singled out the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages as a critical risk driver of NCDs and obesity, which is a pre-disposing health condition for NCDs.
“Across the world, taxes on SSBs have not only been proven to drive behavioural changes that improve public health but have also been confirmed to generate revenue that can be used to enhance public infrastructure and offset healthcare costs associated with NCDs. “Many of these products contain some as high as thirteen cubes of sugar in a bottle of soft drink. The problem is that while it does not contribute anything significant in terms of nutrition to those who take them, habitual consumption of these products often time leads to health challenges, particularly non-communicable diseases,” Fagbemi said.