World Obesity Day: CAPPA Urges Tougher Curbs on Junk Food Marketing

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has called for stricter government regulation of junk food marketing, warning that aggressive promotion of unhealthy foods is fuelling rising obesity and other noncommunicable diseases in Nigeria.

In a statement issued to mark World Obesity Day 2026, CAPPA said decisive policy action is urgently required to protect public health, particularly among children and young people.

The organisation noted that obesity has become one of the world’s most pressing health challenges, citing projections that nearly half of the global population — about four billion people — could be living with overweight or obesity by 2035.

This year’s theme, “8 billion reasons to act on obesity,” highlights the global scale of the crisis and the need for coordinated action to address it.

CAPPA warned that Nigeria is increasingly vulnerable due to changing dietary habits, rapid urbanisation and the growing presence of ultra-processed foods in the national diet.

According to the group, the widespread availability and aggressive advertising of foods high in sugar, salt and trans fats are contributing to rising cases of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases across the country.

Data from the National Library of Medicine shows that as of 2020, more than 21 million Nigerians aged 15 and above were overweight, while over 12 million were classified as obese.

CAPPA expressed particular concern over targeted advertising aimed at children through television, digital platforms, in-school promotions and outdoor advertisements.

“The aggressive promotion of ultra-processed foods to children is deliberate,” the organisation said, referencing its report titled Unhealthy Food Hijack of Festive Periods in Nigeria. It argued that food and beverage corporations are shaping taste preferences early to secure lifelong consumers while leaving the public to bear the long-term health costs.

To address the problem, CAPPA urged federal and state governments to introduce and enforce policies restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children across all platforms.

The organisation also renewed its call for the National Assembly of Nigeria to review the country’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) tax upward, arguing that the current rate is too low to significantly curb consumption.

It recommended increasing the tax to 50 percent of the retail price in line with guidance from the World Health Organization, saying stronger fiscal measures would discourage excessive intake while generating revenue for public health programmes.

CAPPA further advocated the adoption of mandatory Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) to clearly warn consumers when products contain high levels of sugar, salt or unhealthy fats.

Such visible labels, the group said, would empower Nigerians to make healthier choices, counter deceptive marketing tactics and encourage manufacturers to reformulate products.

In addition, CAPPA called for the introduction of a robust national salt-reduction regulation, noting the link between excessive sodium consumption and hypertension,  major risk factor for stroke and heart disease affecting millions of Nigerians.

As the world reflects on the “8 billion reasons” to act on obesity, CAPPA said Nigeria has millions of reasons of its own to confront the growing health threat.

“Protecting present and future generations from diet-related diseases requires effective policies, firm regulation and political will that puts people before profit,” the organisation said.