Ultra-processed foods fortification: Public health solution or health risk?
By Humphrey Ukeaja
Over the past few years, a growing number of food manufacturers, health advocates, and sections of the media have increasingly presented the fortification of ultra-processed products such as bouillon cubes, noodles, sugary beverages, and pre-packaged snacks as a public health response to curb the hidden hunger crisis.
Fortification is the practice of adding essential vitamins and minerals to staple foods during production to prevent health problems caused by nutrient deficiencies and the health problems they cause.
Advocates now propose extending this intervention to industrially produced, ultra-processed foods that are often high in sodium, sugar, unhealthy fats and contain numerous chemical additives. They argue that these products should serve as vehicles for delivering micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin B12 and iodine, thereby leaving consumers confused about whether to avoid these unhealthy products or consume them to obtain some beneficial nutrients. In Nigeria, these “fortified” ultra-processed products are repackaged as a solution to a growing public health crisis, rather than presenting them as the major drivers of the country’s non-communicable disease (NCDs) burden.
A recent publication described hidden hunger in Nigeria as “one of Africa’s least discussed barriers to economic growth,” while presenting food corporations, particularly Nestle, as champions in the fight against the crisis through food fortification. It reported that Nestle operates a nutrition program across Africa designed to deliver micronutrients without requiring consumers to change their dietary habits.
Firstly, the reality, however, is that although hidden hunger is prevalent, it is not ignored. For decades, Nigeria has implemented micronutrient supplementation programmes targeting women and children, both at health facility and household levels, alongside food fortification and agriculture-sensitive nutrition interventions yet the indices have not improved due to poor access of households to diverse, nutrient-rich, wholesome foods as a result of inflation and food insecurity.
Today, another growing public health crisis that is under-discussed and appears to receive the least attention from the Nigerian government is the rising burden of diet-related NCDs, driven largely by its unhealthy food environment that enables the increased intake of ultra-processed foods through aggressive marketing, taking advantage of the loopholes in Africa’s food environment policies.
These NCDs account for 29% of deaths in Nigeria; projected to overtake infectious diseases, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases as the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2030. This triple burden puts Nigeria in the position where it is ranked the most malnourished country in Africa and second globally.
In environments where food is properly regulated, governments promote the consumption of nutrient-dense, wholesome foods by implementing agricultural reforms and intervention that make healthy foods available and accessible, giving the populace access to a diverse diet rich in fruits, vegetables, animal-sourced protein, legumes, fibre, and other essential nutrients; and putting in place laws that limit the intake of heavily processed foods to promote public health.
Under the guise of helping government to improve nutrition outcomes, food industries use their research institutions, non-profit allies, and front groups to encourage the government to promote the mandatory addition of beneficial micronutrients like fiber, phytase, minerals, and vitamins, to bouillon, breakfast beverages amongst other ultraprocessed products, while simultaneously advocating for a slight reduction of “nutrients of concern” such as sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats. This approach is portrayed by food corporations as a way to combat malnutrition and improve public health metrics. However, this process can be seen as a deceptive marketing tactic known as “nutri-washing.” It serves to protect corporate profits and mitigate the negative perception of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), presenting these unhealthy products as a cheaper and more accessible option or a public health solution for low-income and vulnerable households that cannot afford nutrient-dense, wholesome meals at home.
The institutionalisation of these industry-led models and narratives under the “Positive Nutrition” tactic has profound consequences, acting as a strategic tool to weaken and/or dismantle mandatory public health regulations. By embedding these industry-friendly standards into national policies, corporations ensure that UPPs remain a central, unquestioned component of the global food system leading to the erosion of Food Sovereignty. By framing artificial fortification as the primary solution to hunger, the industry diverts resources away from structural reforms, such as strengthening local agriculture and promoting access to fresh foods. This effectively displaces traditional food systems, ensuring that UPPs are classified as “basic foods” and reinforcing a “corporate diet” tailored to industry interests rather than true nourishment.
Corporate involvement in defining national food fortification policies and guidelines prioritises private profit over the public interest, and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control must guard against such conflicts of interest and prioritise the health of Nigerians, especially the most vulnerable populations, comprising largely children, pregnant and lactating women. Endorsing large-scale bouillon fortification incentivises daily consumption of processed seasonings and undermines efforts by the Nigerian Government and public health advocates to promote national sodium reduction, agriculture-sensitive nutrition initiatives.
The Nigerian Government must also review its food fortification strategies to eliminate conflicts of interest that place corporate profits over public health interests. The government must implement policies and programs that expand access to safe, nutritious and wholesome foods. Encouraging home gardening can help increase the consumption of local herbs, fruits and vegetables rich in micronutrients within households. Agricultural fortification efforts should focus on whole staples, such as iron-fortified cassava, zinc-fortified maize, and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, as these carry no added sodium or cardiovascular risks.
Ukeaja, the Industry Monitoring Officer at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), writes from Abuja.
