World Obesity Day: CAPPA Calls for Stricter Regulation of Junk Food Marketing

By Love Oyedokun

As the world marks World Obesity Day 2026, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called for tougher policies to curb the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages linked to obesity and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The organization warned that decisive regulation is critical to protect public health, as the disease has become one of the world’s most urgent health challenges.

Cablenews24 reports that according to CAPPA, Nigeria is not insulated from this trend, with shifting dietary patterns, rapid urbanization, and the growing normalization of ultra-processed foods in the national diet negatively reshaping the country’s food environment. The organization stressed that the unregulated marketing and proliferation of local market shelves with foods high in sugar, salt, and trans fats are contributing significantly to rising cases of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and other diet-related conditions across the country.

CAPPA argued that the targeted advertising of such products to children and young people through television, digital platforms, in-school promotions, and outdoor advertisements, especially at festive periods, is particularly troubling. The organization cited its latest report, titled ‘Unhealthy Food Hijack of Festive Periods in Nigeria,’ which revealed that food and beverage corporations are shaping taste preferences early to secure lifelong consumers, while the public bears the long-term health and economic consequences.

To address this growing crisis, CAPPA urged government at all levels to enact policies and enforce regulations restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children across all platforms. The organization also renewed its call for the National Assembly to substantially review the country’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) tax upward, maintaining that the current rate remains too low to significantly reduce consumption.

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