The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has mandated that all food companies in Nigeria must eliminate industrially produced trans-fatty acids from their products within the next 18 months.
The announcement, made on Friday, is part of a new national strategy to tackle a significant public health threat.
These harmful fats, commonly found in processed oils, baked goods, and fried foods, are strongly linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death.
Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, stated that this roadmap moves the country from policy creation to “aggressive enforcement and implementation.”
She described the removal of these fats as a “moral imperative” that is “possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent.”
The 18-month transition period is designed to give manufacturers time to exhaust their current stock and reformulate their products to comply with the new legal limits.
This action builds on Nigeria’s 2023 recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its trans-fat elimination policies.
The new strategy is expected to secure full WHO validation for Nigeria’s program and establish the country as a regional leader in public health.
The WHO recommends completely removing industrial trans fats from the food supply, a goal already achieved by countries like Denmark, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
