There are an estimated 11.2 million Nigerians living with diabetes and food scientists and industry stakeholders have advocated for science-based strategies to reduce sugar consumption without sacrificing on food safety, quality or customer choice.
Vanguard reports that the stakeholders, under the aegis of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, NIFST, and the International Sweeteners Association, ISA, also called on the federal government to strengthen local research, harmonise food additives regulations with global standards and improve public understanding of low- and no-calorie sweeteners.
President of NIFST, Dr Bola Osinowo, who addressed at a two-day stakeholders’ conference on “Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners in Nigeria: The Science and Safety”, said Nigeria was experiencing a sharp increase in diet-related non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Clinical data showed between six million and 11.2 million Nigerian adults were living with diabetes, Osinowo said, describing the disease as a big economic burden on households and the health system.
He said the average Nigerian living with diabetes could spend anything between N20,000 and over N150,000 per month for insulin, blood glucose monitoring and clinical treatment.
“The difficulty was compounded by the fact that there were few specialists – fewer than 200 physician endocrinologists in the whole country,” he stated.
“We cannot discuss the future of food formulation in Nigeria without discussing the current realities of public health and the economy in the country,” Osinowo added. Download Interactive Maps
“Nigeria is currently experiencing a serious upsurge in diet-related non-communicable diseases, most notably type 2 diabetes and obesity.
With increased use of low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) by manufacturers to reduce sugar in foods and beverages, Nigeria needed a legislative and scientific framework that could enable the change, he said.
NIFST president stated authorised LNCS have undergone decades of safety tests by international authorities such the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, JECFA and the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA.
He said that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has put in place the Food Additives Regulations 2021 and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Food Products Regulations 2021.
Stakeholders also pointed out that lack of consumer understanding, absence of national dietary intake data and technological problems around food reformulation are significant gaps that Nigeria has to overcome.
Studies carried out by Nigerian universities had shown that awareness of sweeteners was reasonably high, with some questioned groups reporting 73.5 per cent awareness, but between 67 and 70.8 per cent of respondents had poor functional understanding of their safety and health implications, they said.
The conference also referenced studies in Calabar Municipality, which showed that as much as 58.1 per cent of young individuals regularly use fizzy drinks sweetened with aspartame.
Stakeholders noted Nigeria currently has no unified national dietary database that could track the intake of sweeteners and estimate levels of exposure across different groups of the population.
They consequently demanded longitudinal nutrition studies across the six geo-political zones to establish local evidence for policy and regulation.
On the industrial front, the stakeholders said the 10 per cent Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, SSB, tax equivalent to N10 per litre had spurred manufacturers to reformulate products but posed new technical problems.
They emphasised that substituting sugar in beverages is not simply about replicating sweetness, but manufacturers also need to maintain bulk, mouthfeel, viscosity, sensory attributes and shelf stability.
The task, they claimed, was especially difficult in Nigeria because of hot and humid storage and delivery circumstances.
The conference therefore called for increased cooperation between the food industry, universities and research institutes to evaluate mixes of sweeteners and reformulated goods in local environmental conditions.
The stakeholders also urged for coordinated risk-communication efforts with NIFST Academy, ISA and public health agencies to fight misconceptions and give accessible and evidence-based information to healthcare professionals and consumers.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and relevant regulatory bodies were encouraged to bring Nigeria’s food additive regulations into line with the Codex Alimentarius and revised international safety assessments.
The conference also recommended a dedicated food reformulation curriculum for industrial research and development teams, and simplified sweetener safety fact sheets for medical and nutrition professionals.
Stakeholders argued that Nigeria’s response to its growing diet-related disease burden should include sugar reduction, consumer education, regulatory control and indigenous scientific research. Download Interactive Maps
NIFST Academy and ISA agreed to begin capacity building efforts by the end of 2026, while relevant government agencies should work on regulatory alignment and enhanced national dietary monitoring.
The two-day conference, held at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NAFDAC, Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON, food and beverage manufacturers, academics, nutritionists, consumer groups and other industry stakeholders.
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