CAPPA SEEKS URGENT REGULATION OF BOUILLON CUBES; CITING PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS FROM HIGH SALT CONTENT

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) is advocating for the urgent regulation of bouillon cubes, commonly known as Maggi, due to concerns about their high salt and sodium content, which pose significant public health risks in Nigeria.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, during a media briefing in Abuja, stressed the need for the government to review existing policies and establish a regulatory framework to ensure that manufacturing industries are accountable for the levels of consumption within the nation.
Mr. Oluwafemi linked the rise in cardiovascular diseases to excessive fortified salt intake, underlining the importance of regulating these products to protect public health.
Also speaking to newsmen, CAPPA Program officer of cardiovascular health, Mrs. Bukoka Olukemi Odele assures that the organization will engage the government to foster the implementation of adverts and marketing restrictions for public high-sodium foods.
Director, Health Equity and Development Dr. Jerome Mafeni, who spoke on their nutritional values, said they are just mere flavors without additional health benefits, adding that people were eating healthy beforethe bouillon cubes.
The organization also advocates for collaboration among relevant agencies to ensure food fortification meets all W.H.O. criteria.