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In Nigeria, food consumption patterns in the different agroecological zones is ethnically and culturally diverse. All of these diets, however are historically local- meals were solely based on starchy staples and soups derived from locally grown vegetables, prepared using local herbs and spices. Insidiously however, the Nigerian diet has been largely westernized, featuring a dangerous surge in consumption of ultra-processed and junk food options. These food types are characterized by high sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, industrial additives and low plant fiber content, all of which have been associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. There are numerous factors that have contributed to this shift. Some of these include the rapid (largely uncontrolled) urbanization, higher income earnings (translating to higher disposable income), better education, changing work roles, which has led to increased entrants of women into corporate settings, adoption of contemporary (erroneously perceived as ‘hip’) lifestyle, and so on. Over the last few decades, the country has witnessed very rapid rural-urban migration, which has yielded a stunted agricultural sector and overpopulated big cities. In the cities, life can be very hectic. Daily life is fraught with numerous challenges. Commuting to and from work in poorly planned cities that have atrocious road networks and unreliable public transport systems, sitting in traffic for long hours, and the incessant need to ingeniously improvise to provide virtually every fundamental necessity of life, which individuals living in sane societies can take for granted leaves a strain on many people and little time to prepare meals. There is also a cultural element to this- as being plump and round is perceived as sexy (in the case of women) and associated with affluence, overall wellbeing and social status.
These days therefore, there are numerous overweight Nigerians. We now have so many full faced, rotund bellied children and adults, who are morbidly obese and grossly unaware that their wellbeing may be in peril. The unhealthy trends and tastes of Nigerians is being fed by pre-packaged and ready-to eat food products marketed and supplied by many multinational companies; from Lebanon, Indonesia, India, China, Europe and other parts of the world. Many of these products are poorly labeled as to their actual ingredients and processing. Some of these products or constituents have been anecdotally or scientifically implicated as potentially unhealthy or even toxic. Some ingredients, flavor, or other additives indicated on labels are known or suspected toxicants but continue to remain on the market. The main regulatory bodies;- NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) and SON (Standards Organization of Nigeria) established to regulate food/cosmetics/medicine production and distribution as well as stipulate and enforce safety standards and protect consumers are so corrupt that it is imprudent to consider them as functional entities at this point. Therefore, these companies roll out products with virtually no control or regulation whatsoever.
Admittedly, the causes of obesity are widely acknowledged as complex; in addition to diet, evolving lifestyles, sedentary habits and genetics have been suggested to be contributing factors. However, available research demonstrates a relationship between dietary habits and long term deleterious health effects. More bothersome is that in addition to dietary changes, certain experts have reported increased cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and inadequate exercise among Nigerians. These days, many people own cars and drive where they might have walked in the past. Also increased internet usage in cities means that more people now sit for protracted periods both at home and at work. The best evidence indicates that all of these factors have great potential to induce or aggravate potentially fatal health problems. It is however, difficult to estimate the magnitude of the problem or to substantively correlate obesity/eating habits/lifestyle with mortality or morbidity due to a pervasive lack of reliable statistics. Some people may argue that the influx of these companies is generating commerce and creating jobs. However, this is largely untrue as the lack of appropriate trade unions and government protection permits these companies to exploit Nigerians. Poor career progression, extremely poor remuneration, lack of benefits and maltreatment/abuse particularly in the case of women is rife.
First, enlightenment campaigns and programs are necessary to inform Nigerians of the importance of dietary choices and lifestyle. We now need financially and politically independent organizations that will inform consumers and advocate for policies and regulations that will keep Nigerians healthy. It is important that we better scrutinize ingredients, processing, packaging and marketing practices.
Nigerians are on a fast track- emulating the lifestyle and practices of affluent countries, but then we are landed with problems of catastrophic dimensions, we tend not to cope with them effectively. The most important consideration is that we lack the medical structures, resources and facilities to manage the resultant health crises. For example, the treatment of diabetes and hypertension is very expensive and medication is sometimes unavailable in certain regions. Many people therefore, continue to move around with various types of untreated metabolic syndromes. It is not uncommon for people to just suddenly drop and die. The country continues to grapple with countless other challenges; insecurity, infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, malnourishment and so on. We really should prioritize health protection by emphasizing the importance of healthy food and food products.
Oluwadara Alegbeleye
