A new report has revealed that food corporations are using aggressive marketing, cultural co-optation, celebrity endorsements, and deceptive labelling to drive sales of unhealthy food.
It added that food corporations use a sophisticated web of marketing strategies to get Nigerians – especially children and young adults – hooked on ultra-processed foods.
This processed foods, it noted, damage their health, undermine public health policies, and cost the Nigerian healthcare systems billions.
The report titled, “Junk on Our Plates: Exposing Deceptive Marketing of Unhealthy Foods Across Seven States in Nigeria” was unveiled on Wednesday in Lagos by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
The report accused the industry of leveraging extensive advertising, cultural trends, pricing strategies, and distribution networks to influence food culture and dietary habits, often prioritising highly processed, calorie-dense, and nutrient-poor foods due to their profitability and long shelf life.
The report stated: “The findings showed that through “aggressive marketing, cultural co-optation, celebrity endorsements, and deceptive labelling, the corporations had entrenched ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium products in Nigeria’s food environment—targeting children, youth, low-income communities, and cultural identities to drive sales.
“The food and beverage industry continues to exploit loopholes. They use covert marketing, target children, and take advantage of weak enforcement of existing regulations to flood the market with unhealthy products — tactics reminiscent of the deadly strategies long used by the tobacco industry.
“In some cases, they also take advantage of weak border controls and ignore product standards altogether.”
Speaking, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi said the widespread promotion of these foods, High in Saturated fats, Salt, and Sugar (HFSS), was increasingly redefining global dietary patterns and impacting public health.
It added that as HFSS foods become dominant in markets worldwide, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions linked to their excessive consumption have also risen.
Oluwafemi stressed that there was a need for stronger public health interventions to balance the food industry’s influence with consumer well-being.
He noted: “These tactics undermine existing public health policies, while denying people the right to accurate information and healthier options.
“We need clear and readable front-of-pack warning labels on processed foods. We need limits on salt and sugar content. And we need public awareness campaigns and food policymaking that are state-led, free from corporate sponsorship or influence.”
Other recommendations include strengthening regulations on the marketing of unhealthy foods, particularly to children; increasing Nigeria’s SSB tax from N10 to N130 to make sugary beverages less cost-attractive; and implementing national sodium reduction programs.