By: Mandy Park
Food justice campaigners, environmentalists, public health experts including, environmental think tank, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Director, HOMEF, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, CAPPA, Dr. Francis Fagbule, Public health specialist, UCH, Ibadan, Fidelis Obaniyi, CSEA, Opeyemi Ibitoye, Project Officer, CAPPA, and Bukola Olukemi Odele among others have raised the alarm over the abuse of the fundamental rights of Nigerians to consume healthy foods and be protected from corporations promoting unhealthy diets.
They expressed worry at the adoption and promotion of GMO and SSB products despite the growing rate of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria caused by the excessive consumption of such unhealthy and harmful products.
All the speakers agree that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and GMO products remain a critical risk driver of NCDs and obesity, which is a pre-disposing health condition for NCDs.
The occasion which took place in Lagos on Monday, 1st July had in attendance stakeholders from various organizations that also demanded an increase in SSB tax to 20 percent, urging the government to consciously divert the proceeds to improving the health sector.
In his keynote address with the theme ” Healthy food is human rights.’ Dr Bassey raised critical issues on the havoc being done to the environment by GMO products and it’s accompanying health challenges on individual consumers.
Said Bassey”There has been GMO debate in Nigeria over the past decade, the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
“The question of what role, if any, GMOs should play in helping to address a range of agriculture, nutrition, and climatic challenges in developing countries like Nigeria has been at the centre of discussions.
“Also, concerns have emerged over the environmental and health impacts of GMOs, their impact on traditional farming methods, and issues around seed patents and others.
“Governments in developing nations are responding to those concerns in a variety of ways with some banning GMOs outright, some embracing the technology, and others attempting to find a balance between the concerns and needs of all sides.
‘I have always argued that food productivity can be improved through natural methods.
“It is totally unacceptable that in the name of food sufficiency the country is exposing it’s citizens to products of risky technologies without adequate, independent and/or long-term assessment on their impacts on human and environmental health.l
The environmentalist said there are many challenges associated with genetic modification crops that cannot be denied.
He said that GMOs have been linked to cancers, diseases, allergies, and all sorts of health challenges due to environmental implications because of their dependency on toxic pesticides and the destruction of biodiversity and nutritional diversity.
In his remarks Comrade Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, at the Capacity Building Programme for Social Movements and other Groups on the SSB Tax, Healthy Food Policies and Food Justice in Nigeria said the goal is to build capacity and strengthen their collective resolve as pro-people advocates to further defend the fundamental rights of Nigerians to consume healthy foods and be protected from corporations promoting unhealthy diets, such as excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, sodium and trans-fat among others.
Oluwafemi noted further in his presentation that
” In recent years, we have observed the alarming reality of our people suffering not just from acute hunger in a land of plenty but also from sicknesses and diseases caused by the very food they consume.
“Of this scary picture, we are particularly concerned about the growing rate of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have caught the attention of the global health community because they are responsible for about 41 million deaths yearly, equivalent to 71 per cent of all deaths globally.
“In Nigeria, nearly 30% 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 (SSBs) as a critical risk driver of NCDs and obesity, which is a pre-disposing health condition for NCDs.
“To mitigate NCDs, therefore, the consumption of these beverages and unhealthy diet ought to be reduced. SSBs include but are not limited to, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, sweetened sports drinks, or any artificial sugar-sweetened beverages.
” In this vein, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the effective taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) as part of its global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (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.
“In 2021, the Nigerian government introduced a ₦10 per litre excise tax on non-alcoholic, carbonated, and sweetened beverages as a policy response to combat the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases in the country. In this regard, we have embarked on an advocacy campaign to galvanize support and educate the public on the SSB tax and its potential benefits.
” Unfortunately, despite the significance of the SSB tax intervention, it has yet to achieve the desired impact due to certain factors that we will examine in the sessions today.While we will explore the issues hindering this policy’s effectiveness as we proceed, it is crucial to note that Nigerians face increasingly poor food choices.
“In particular, the food industry and big corporations manipulate consumers to embrace unhealthy diets, bombarding us with marketing that promotes processed foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
“Meanwhile, natural, nutritious options remain out of reach for many. This manipulation is a direct attack on our health and well-being, prioritising profit over people and keeping us hooked on foods that offer no nutritional value to our bodies and communities.
‘This is one of the core bases on which we must organise, build our networks, and forge alliances that can reclaim community taste buds from the allure of unhealthy diets that serve as profit spinners for big food corporations.
“Grassroots mobilisation, community engagement, and solidarity are our strongest weapons. “
Oluwafemi commended the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), for their usual support, in it’s support for their campaigns.
Dr Fagbule speaking on ” SSB’s and Nigeria’s NCD burden’ also reiterated on the diseases caused by SSB including cancer, obesity, stroke, diabetes, hypertension among others.
He expressed worry on the consequences of the disease which he said was avoidable if the government put good and standard regulations and if the people through awareness change behavior pattern by refusing to patronize SSB consumables.
While Obaniyi spoke comprehensively on the economic impact of unhealthy foods, Ibitoye and Odele spoke on the SSB tax campaign and the key highlights of the salt target campaign respectfully.
