By Lexi Elo
Health experts have raised concerns over likely rise in Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers and kidney failure, following the voluntary nature of heart check food [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]labelling programme (HCFLP) for food manufacturing companies in the country.
While the HCFLP is a systematic endorsement of food items certifying them healthy for consumption [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]and heart friendly with emphasis on low fats and cholesterol, low [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]sodium and low glucose, dearth of analytical laboratories to carry out detailed food analysis as stipulated by international requirements remains a major worry giving the prevailing health concerns in Nigeria.
This new development comes as there are high numbers of ‘unhealthy’ food products in circulation in the Nigerian market
Prof. Oladapo Akinkugbe, consultant nephrologist and medical director of Ibadan Hypertension Clinic,
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″] said that food labelling across the world develop community awareness on healthy foods and provide the opportunity for healthy food choices.
While food and beverage manufacturers are encouraged to reformulate their products to more healthy products, Prof Akinkugbe explained that there is need to make heart check food labelling programme compulsory as this will reduce deaths related to non-communicable diseases.
“Healthy nutrition is an important part of a healthy nutrition. Eating the right amount of foods that are heart-healthy and nutritious is part of the Global Strategy for reducing NCDs, including heart diseases, cancer and diabetes mellitus.
“What people eat can make real difference in helping to lower blood cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) that is bad cholesterol and blood glucose,” Prof. Akinkugbe added.
Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, executive Director, Nigeria Heart Foundation, decried that since 2005 when the Heart Check Food Labelling Programme was introduced, only five manufacturing companies out of 300 in the country had signed on.
With nutrition central to major NCDs ravaging the globe today, Akinroye noted that due to the dearth of internationally certified laboratories in the country, results are often sent abroad for further checks of food-based products.
“There is a challenge towards ensuring that only heart friendly food products are marketed in Nigeria is dearth of laboratories of international standards. We want to be able to evaluate the food products and certify them heart-friendly within the country.
“We appeal to government to establish food labs of international standard that would enable all necessary checks about food products in Nigeria. We want these products with HCFLP to be known and patronized by Nigerians because the more fat you take the higher the chance of developing heart disease,” Dr. Akinroye added.
The HCFLP emphasises the importance of awareness creation and sensitization of manufacturers in the food and beverage industries on the importance of reformulations and marketing of foods which are heart healthy.
