In a statement ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14, the organisation said early action against diabetes must go beyond screening and clinical treatment to address commercial and structural factors that make unhealthy diets increasingly difficult to avoid.
The 2026 World Diabetes Day theme is “Early Action on Diabetes.”
CAPPA said healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate whole foods must be affordable and accessible to Nigerians, arguing that prevention should begin before chronic illnesses develop.
The organisation cited International Diabetes Federation figures showing that Nigeria has the highest number of adults aged 20 to 79 living with diabetes in Africa.
It also referenced World Health Organization figures indicating that nearly three in four adults with diabetes on the continent remain undiagnosed.
According to CAPPA, the consequences of undiagnosed and poorly managed diabetes include kidney failure, blindness, stroke and amputations.
The organisation further said Nigerian households spend an estimated N1.92 trillion annually out of pocket treating diet-linked non-communicable diseases, putting additional pressure on vulnerable families.
CAPPA Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi said diabetes prevention should not be framed solely as a matter of personal discipline or willpower.
He argued that aggressive marketing, misleading product claims, the affordability of unhealthy products and commercial interests were shaping Nigeria’s food environment in ways that could undermine public health.
“We cannot keep telling Nigerians to eat healthily while allowing unhealthy food and beverages to dominate our markets, schools, advertisements and public spaces,” Oluwafemi said.
“Early action on diabetes must begin with enacting and implementing strong regulatory policies that make healthy choices possible, affordable and accessible, not simply with advising people to change their dietary behaviour.”
CAPPA said its 2025 report, Junk On Our Plates, found that food and beverage companies used aggressive and deceptive marketing strategies to promote ultra-processed products high in sugar and sodium across seven Nigerian states.
The report, according to the organisation, identified targeted advertising to children, young people and low-income communities, as well as misleading nutrition labels, cultural co-optation and celebrity endorsements.
To address what it described as the commercial drivers of diet-related diseases, CAPPA outlined five priority areas for government action.
The organisation called for the completion and enforcement of a proposed sugar-sweetened beverage tax, urging the House of Representatives and the executive to conclude action on the tax review bill following its passage by the Senate earlier in 2026.
CAPPA advocated an inflation-adjusted excise tax of at least 20 per cent of the final retail price of sugary drinks, in line with World Health Organization recommendations.
It also urged the government to transparently dedicate revenue from the tax to preventing and managing diet-related diseases.
Oluwafemi said the proceeds should support primary healthcare, diabetes screening, subsidies for healthy local foods and other nutrition programmes.
CAPPA also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to accelerate the introduction of mandatory front-of-pack warning labels.
The proposed labels would identify pre-packaged products high in sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.
The organisation said consumers should be able to understand the nutritional content of products without having to interpret small or obscured print on the back of packages.
The group urged the government to introduce statutory restrictions on the marketing and sponsorship of sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods aimed at children and adolescents.
It said the restrictions should cover television, digital platforms and public spaces, while calling for an end to the use of children in marketing and commercials for such products.
CAPPA also urged state governments to enforce federal public food procurement guidelines to ensure that schools, hospitals and other public institutions provide nutritious meals rather than ultra-processed products.
The organisation called on policymakers to guard nutrition policies against lobbying by the ultra-processed food industry.
It criticised what it described as “healthwashing” — the use of misleading health claims, buzzwords and lifestyle imagery to make products appear healthier than they are.
CAPPA also warned against using food fortification claims to obscure excessive sugar or sodium content.
“Adding selected micronutrients to a sugary drink or a high-sodium bouillon cube does not erase excessive sugar, salt or other nutritional concerns,” the organisation said.
It added that fortification should not be used to disguise unhealthy products or weaken policies aimed at reducing their consumption.
The organisation made the comments in reference to the ongoing push for mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes in Nigeria, which it said had been criticised by public health experts.
CAPPA’s fifth recommendation was for increased investment in primary healthcare and support for local food production.
It urged federal and state governments to provide more funding to equip Primary Healthcare Centres with free or subsidised blood glucose testing and essential medicines.
The organisation also called for support for local insulin production and a shift in agricultural incentives towards smallholder farmers producing indigenous fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Oluwafemi said diabetes was not inevitable and that effective prevention required action against commercial practices that make unhealthy diets more accessible.
“On this World Diabetes Day, we call on Nigerian lawmakers and regulators to choose the health and productivity of our people over the profit margins of ultra-processed food corporations,” he said.
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