By Robert Egbe
Plans to make the fortification of bouillon and seasoning cubes with micronutrients mandatory in Nigeria could jeopardise Nigeria’s sodium reduction target and worsen the country’s non-communicable disease (NCD) burden, a food scientist has warned.
Bukola Olukemi-Odele, Programme Officer, Cardiovascular Health at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), said the proposal to use widely consumed seasoning cubes as vehicles for delivering iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 could inadvertently undermine efforts to improve Nigerians’ diets and reduce salt consumption.
Olukemi-Odele made the argument in an opinion article released on August 18, amid growing discussions about the use of fortified foods to address micronutrient deficiencies, including anaemia and neural tube defects.
Advocates of mandatory fortification have argued that seasoning cubes offer a potentially effective vehicle for delivering micronutrients because of their widespread household consumption.
But Olukemi-Odele questioned whether a sodium-containing, ultra-processed product should be promoted as a vehicle for addressing nutritional deficiencies, particularly among pregnant women.
The concern, she argued, is especially important considering Nigeria’s efforts to reduce population sodium intake and address the growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases.
According to Olukemi-Odele, focusing on the nutrients added to a product without considering the nutritional quality of the vehicle itself risks creating what she described as a “health halo” around ultra-processed foods.
She argued that adding synthetic micronutrients to seasoning cubes does not transform them into nutrient-dense foods and could encourage consumers to associate industrially processed products with health benefits.
“Despite the assertions that fortified UPFs address micronutrient gaps, they often contain high levels of sugar, unhealthy fats, and additives,” she wrote, arguing that such products could contribute to what nutrition experts describe as the “double burden” of malnutrition and diet-related diseases.
The food scientist also questioned whether Nigeria has sufficient evidence that fortifying bouillon has substantially reduced micronutrient deficiencies.
She pointed to data from Nigeria’s 2001 Food Consumption and Nutrition Survey and the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey, which she said showed an increase in anaemia among women from 24.3 per cent to 55 per cent over the period.
She argued that the figures demonstrate the need to look beyond fortification and address broader issues including food insecurity, dietary diversity and access to nutrient-rich foods.
A central concern raised in the article is the amount of sodium associated with seasoning products and the potential implications for Nigeria’s sodium-reduction agenda.
Olukemi-Odele argued that promoting bouillon as a micronutrient-delivery vehicle could send conflicting signals if the government is simultaneously seeking to reduce population sodium intake.
She reasoned that if Nigeria is seeking to reduce sodium consumption, should a sodium-containing seasoning product be promoted as a vehicle for delivering micronutrients?
Rather than increasing dependence on sodium-rich processed seasonings, she called for stronger implementation of policies aimed at reducing sodium in the food supply.
Among the measures she proposed are mandatory sodium limits, front-of-pack warning labels for bouillon and other processed foods, and stronger incentives for manufacturers to reformulate their products.
She also recommended expanding access to nutritious whole foods and encouraging household food production, including home gardening, to improve access to vegetables, fruits and herbs.
For micronutrient deficiencies, she advocated greater emphasis on nutrient-rich staples and crops, as well as iron-folic acid and multiple micronutrient supplementation for pregnant women through primary healthcare facilities and community health workers.
She cited examples including iron-fortified cassava, zinc-fortified maize and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as potential components of a broader nutrition strategy.
The debate over bouillon fortification comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s wider nutrition challenges, including micronutrient deficiencies, food insecurity and the increasing consumption of processed foods.
Olukemi-Odele argued that Nigeria should resist approaches that address one nutritional problem while potentially worsening another.
“The path to a healthy and productive Nigeria is not paved in laboratory-enriched bouillon cubes,” she wrote, calling instead for a food system that promotes dietary diversity and nutrition security.
She concluded that Nigeria “cannot supplement its way out of a poor diet” and urged policymakers to prioritise food sovereignty and access to wholesome foods alongside targeted micronutrient interventions.
