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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched a national strategy and roadmap to enforce trans-fatty acid (TFA) regulation in Nigeria.
The regulation, according to NAFDAC, was developed to facilitate the implementation of the Fats, Oils and Foods Containing Fats and Oils Regulations 2022.
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The Regulation set a legal limit of not more than two grams of trans fats per 100 grams of oil or fat.
Speaking at the event on Friday in Lagos, NAFDAC’s Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the roadmap demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to eliminating industrially produced trans fats from the food supply, in line with global best practices.
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“This launch is not just about unveiling a document, it is about reaffirming our national commitment to protecting the health of Nigerians from dangerous yet preventable dietary risks,” Mrs Adeyeye said.
Dangerous food risk
Mrs Adeyeye, a professor of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Drug Evaluation, explained that trans fats are a leading dietary contributor to cardiovascular diseases, which remain the world’s leading cause of death.
She warned that scientific evidence shows a high intake of TFAs increases the risk of death from heart disease by 28 per cent.
“The food we eat can kill us. If you eat well, you will use less medicine,” she said, stressing the urgent need to enforce Nigeria’s TFA limits.
She explained that industrially produced TFAs, often created through the “partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils,” are used for their long shelf life and low cost, but are harmful to health.
She added that globally, more than 278,000 deaths each year are linked to TFA consumption.
In 2023, the WHO recognised Nigeria as one of the seven countries where new best-practice policies to eliminate industrially produced TFA became effective. Others were Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, North Macedonia, the Philippines, and Ukraine.
According to Mrs Adeyeye, the next step is full implementation, enforcement, and validation by WHO.
Global recognition, local gaps
Pinda Wakawa who represented WHO Country Representative for Nigeria, Walter Mulombo, praised Nigeria’s “strong political will and strategic leadership” in taking steps to eliminate TFAs.
“This milestone marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s commitment to improving public health and reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases,” Ms Wakawa said.
Nigeria is now the second country in the WHO African region, after South Africa, with a best-practice TFA policy in place.
“The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative,” she added.
WHO pledged continued technical support, capacity building and monitoring to ensure Nigeria fully enforces the new regulation.
Interventions, partnerships
According to a publication by Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), Nigeria’s 2023 ban was a huge step for heart health but faced challenges, including gaps in laboratory capacity and the lack of a standard testing protocol to measure TFA content in foods.
To address this, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, WHO and RTSL supported laboratories to procure specialised equipment and trained technicians to adopt WHO’s simplified protocol for TFA testing.
Initial training sessions in 2024 covered six laboratories, with participants later conducting tests in their home labs for review. Two of the three government labs identified as central to implementation are now fully equipped for TFA testing.
RTSL estimates that effective enforcement of Nigeria’s TFA ban could save 1,200 lives annually.
At the launch, RTSL’s Executive Director, Nanlop Ogbureke, said the roadmap was a long-awaited achievement and urged collective commitment to enforcement.
“It is one thing to have a policy or regulation, it is another to ensure its enforcement. As RTSL, we are committed to supporting Nigeria to make TFA a thing of the past,” Ms Ogbureke said.
She added that Nigeria now has an opportunity to join the few countries that have received WHO validation for TFA elimination.
“Together, through collaboration and shared commitment, we can build a healthier future for our country, one free of the dangers of TFA,” she said.
Roadmap for Nigeria
Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate represented at the launch by the ministry’s Director, National Food Safety Programme, John Atanda, said the government views the strategy as a “landmark milestone” in the fight against cardiovascular diseases.
“This roadmap is one of the major steps Nigeria has taken to reduce disease indices linked to diet,” Mr Pate said, acknowledging the “doggedness” of NAFDAC leadership in steering the effort.
Also, the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at NAFDAC, Eva Edwards, explained that the roadmap provides a phased plan for implementation, including industry reformulation, compliance monitoring, laboratory testing, enforcement, and public education.
She disclosed that a moratorium of 18 months has been granted to food companies to phase out existing stock with outdated labels, with full implementation expected to begin in February 2026.
In her goodwill message, Ime Andy, the Chief Enterprise Officer at the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) said the roadmap is crucial to ensuring safe food production across the country.
“MSMEs are the engine room of the economy, but without food safety there can be no vibrant economy. This roadmap ensures that small businesses operate to global health standards,” Ms Andy said.
SMEDAN pledged to continue working with NAFDAC to ensure compliance among small-scale food producers, who provide a large share of processed foods consumed by Nigerians.
