Di National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR) Coalition wey be di ogbonge organisation wey dey advocate for tax ontop sugary drinks don write long open letter for presido Tinubu.
Di group bin make dis letter available to TalkHealth9ja today for Abuja during advocacy walk wey stop for NAFDAC today.
Di coalition spokesperson for di coalition Ms. Gloria Okwu, talk say, why dem dey for NAFDAC headquarters today na cos of say na dem get di responsibility to dey control di kain food wey dem dey sale for we country.
Protect Naija People from Bad Sugar: Make Nutritional Labels Clear and Increase Tax for Drinks Wey Get Plenty Sugar
Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Cc: ● Senate President
● Speaker, House of Representatives
● Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare
● Honourable Minister of Finance
● Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Control (NAFDAC)
● EVC/CEO, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC)
● Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination Your Excellency,
We dey greet you well-well from National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR). We wan yan you about serious matter wey dey ground. We wan make we join hands to protect Nigerians from bad sugar wey dey inside our food and drink.
The report talk say one type of Cerelac wey dem dey sell for Naija get up to 6.8g of sugar for each serving. But for Europe, like UK, the same Cerelac wey dem dey sell to babies no get sugar at all.
Some kind report wey The Guardian, one UK newspaper bring out don show say Nestlé, one big company, dey add sugar inside baby formula and cereals wey dem dey sell for Africa. But for Europe, dem no put sugar for the same product wey dem dey sell to babies wey dey six months to one year. World Health Organisation don talk say dis one na “double standard.
This matter dey serious because e fit cause plenty sickness wey dey hard to cure like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. For Naija, 29% of people wey die, die because of these sickness. And as we dey try fight malnutrition for our country, we no fit dey add sugar to the food wey suppose give our pikin better life. E fit make pikin get obesity from small pikin age.
People no dey always sabi how to check wetin dey inside the food wey dem dey buy. The labels wey dey food and drink wey we dey buy no too clear. So, we dey beg make government do these things:
- Make sure say baby food wey dem dey sell for Naija no get added sugar.
- Put warning for all sugar-sweetened drinks and junk food to show people wetin dey inside am.
- Increase the tax for sugar-sweetened drinks like how other countries dey do, so that people go reduce how dem dey take am. And make sure say the money wey dem collect from the tax, dem use am for public health, especially to help people wey get sickness like diabetes.
As our country dey go through hard times, make we join hand make we protect our people from bad food wey fit make dem sick. We dey thank you well-well.
Your faithful,
National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR)
