Lagos: The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) has unveiled a month-long nationwide awareness programme to promote its Heart Mark Logo initiative, aimed at reducing the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria. The Executive Director of NHF, Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, at the unveiling of the first Nigeria Heart Foundation Heart Mark Logo tagged ‘Healthier Choices, Made Easier’ on Tuesday in Lagos, said the heart health remained non-negotiable for healthy and longer life.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Akinroye said the programme, scheduled to run from April 14 to May 15, would feature a national summit, advocacy visits to key government institutions, and market sensitisation campaigns in Lagos and Abuja. He said the initiative was designed to deepen public understanding of heart diseases, which he described as ‘the number one killer disease in Nigeria,’ and to promote healthier dietary choices among Nigerians.
‘The purpose of the summit is to promote the understanding of heart diseases in Nigeria and its recognition as the number one killer disease in the country. It will also promote the use of the NHF Heart Mark Logo as a tool to make healthy choices of food products for consumers, while educating them on the link between healthy diet and heart health,’ he said.
The NHF boss explained that the Heart Mark Food Labelling Programme, introduced in 2003 in partnership with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), had helped consumers identify healthier food options over the years. According to him, while NAFDAC ensures that only safe food products are registered for sale, NHF goes a step further by testing voluntarily submitted products to ensure key components such as cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium fall within acceptable levels.
Akinroye noted that the programme aligned with global best practices of the World Heart Federation and similar initiatives by heart foundations across the world. He listed comparable schemes to include the Heart CheckMark of the American Heart Association and Heart Mark logos used in countries such as South Africa, Finland, and New Zealand.
The NHF executive director, however, raised concern over Nigeria’s high salt consumption, putting the average daily intake at 10 grammes per person, double the recommended maximum of five grammes. ‘Various studies have shown that Nigeria is one of the highest consumers of salt in the world. The country is, however, making concerted efforts to achieve at least a 30 per cent reduction in salt consumption by 2030,’ he said.
Akinroye linked unhealthy diets to the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cancer, stressing that improved nutrition remained a key preventive strategy. ‘This summit is coming at a critical time as cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases are rapidly increasing in Nigeria,’ he said.
He also highlighted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in August 2024 between NHF and NAFDAC to strengthen collaboration in research, training, advocacy, and dietary control initiatives. Akinroye expressed optimism that the partnership would significantly reduce cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in Nigeria by 2030.
In her goodwill messages, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who described the initiative as bold, timely, and historic, said that theme spoke directly to the heart of NAFDAC’s mandate. Adeyeye, who was represented by Mr. Abdulrazak Jada, NAFDAC’s Deputy Director/Head of Nutrition, said that agency’s mandate was to safeguard public health.
Adeyeye added that NAFDAC was proud to partner with the foundation, alongside the Federal Ministry of Health, industry stakeholders, and development partners, ‘to ensure that this mark is credible, trusted, and impactful.’
Also speaking, Prof. Akin Osibogun, the Executive Director, Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), Alliance Nigeria, said cardiovascular diseases remained the leading cause of death in developing countries. The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Director-General Prof. John Obafunwa, raised concerns over the increase of cardiovascular disease, promised to support NHF in the area of research.
However, stakeholders took turns to raise concerns over food products without Heart Mark Food Labelling introduced by the NHF, citing an alleged directive from regulatory authorities. They urged NAFDAC not to succumb to forces pushing for removal of heart logo in some labelled products as certified by the NHF, to safeguard the populace.
Other stakeholders at the event included former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunmbe Mamora; Dr. Segun Odegbami, the Global Ambassador, NCD Alliance and Mr. Keppy Ekpeyong (Nigerian Foundation Hollywood Ambassadors).