As diet-related non-communicable diseases continue to rise in Nigeria, helping consumers make informed food choices has become an important public health priority. Although food labels provide important nutrition information, many consumers either do not read them or find them difficult to interpret.
To address this challenge, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) partnered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to launch the Read the Food Label Campaign.
The campaign aims to raise public awareness about the importance of reading and understanding food labels, helping consumers use nutrition information to make healthier, more informed food choices.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, described food labels as essential public health tools that help consumers understand the nutritional value, ingredients, and safety of packaged foods. She said the campaign is intended to build a lasting culture of reading food labels by encouraging consumers to make it a routine part of their packaged-food purchases.
“Food labels are not merely regulatory requirements but important public health tools that provide consumers with critical information about the nutritional content and safety of food products. An informed consumer is empowered to make healthier choices”, she said, calling on everyone who purchases to make it a habit to read food labels before making a purchase.
In her remarks, RTSL Nigeria’s Executive Director, Nanlop Ogbureke, represented by Okeoma Obasi, commended NAFDAC for championing what she described as a “timely and important initiative” that “represents a significant milestone in advancing public awareness, consumer protection, and healthier food environments in Nigeria.”
She said, “The Read the Food Label Campaign is a significant step toward empowering Nigerians with the knowledge and confidence to understand what is in the foods they purchase and consume, enabling them to make healthier and more informed choices for themselves and their families.”
RTSL remains committed to supporting NAFDAC and partners in implementing the Read the Food Label Campaign and advancing efforts to create healthier food environments and reduce the burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
