Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is bracing for a significant shift as tighter nutrition standards and a new health certification push begin to reshape competition, placing pressure on manufacturers while exposing regulatory gaps in the country’s vast informal food market.
- +Stricter nutrition standards set to reshape Nigeria’s food industry
The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) is intensifying efforts to promote healthier diets through its Heart Mark Logo certification programme, an initiative industry players say could influence consumer behaviour and compel companies to reformulate products to meet stricter nutritional benchmarks.
The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) is intensifying efforts to promote healthier diets through its Heart Mark Logo certification programme, an initiative industry players say could influence consumer behaviour and compel companies to reformulate products to meet stricter nutritional benchmarks.
The programme, which is set to be amplified through a nationwide awareness campaign and unveiled at a national summit, comes amid rising cases of cardiovascular disease, increasing scrutiny on the quality of processed foods in Africa’s most populous nation.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Kingsley Akinroye, executive director of NHF, said the programme, over two decades in development, has revealed significant gaps in product quality and industry readiness.
“We have maintained very high standards, which is why adoption has been limited. Out of many products assessed, only a small fraction qualify for the Heart Mark Logo,” he said.
According to Akinroye, although more than 15 products have undergone evaluation, fewer than 10 locally produced items have met the criteria, with only about four percent of products in the Nigerian market aligning with the required standards.
The certification process requires products to first secure approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) before undergoing additional scientific screening based on strict nutritional thresholds.
Akinroye noted that limited local laboratory capacity had historically slowed adoption, forcing NHF to rely on South African facilities for product testing for over 15 years, raising costs for participating companies. However, recent improvements have led to the emergence of at least four ISO-certified laboratories in Nigeria, with several others nearing global standards, potentially lowering barriers for manufacturers.
Regulators say structural challenges within Nigeria’s food value chain—particularly the dominance of informal markets continue to limit the impact of such initiatives.
Abdulrazak Jada, deputy director and head of Nutrition, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at NAFDAC, said consumer preference for cheaper, unpackaged products remains a major hurdle.
“Many consumers opt for loose vegetable oil sold in markets because it is more affordable and accessible than packaged alternatives,” he said, noting that bulk oils are often transported by tankers and resold in smaller quantities.
Jada added that while most vegetable oils originate from legitimate sources such as soybean and other plant-based inputs, the informal distribution system makes monitoring and quality assurance more difficult.
He clarified that NAFDAC’s regulatory mandate is limited to processed and packaged foods, leaving a significant portion of the informal food market outside its direct oversight.
“There is a misconception about our role. We regulate processed and packaged foods. Raw food commodities in open markets fall outside our mandate and are handled by other authorities,” he said.
The gap between regulated and unregulated segments of the market creates an uneven playing field, where compliant manufacturers face higher production costs while informal operators compete primarily on price.
Despite its strict criteria, NHF is exploring ways to increase industry participation without compromising credibility. Akinroye said the foundation is working to adapt global best practices from countries such as South Africa and New Zealand to local realities, including affordability and consumer literacy.
“The more companies we bring on board, the greater the public health impact, but we must maintain the integrity of the standards,” he said.
Osaretin Odia, president of NHF, described the Heart Mark Logo as both a health intervention and a market signal.
“This is not just a logo; it is a tool to guide consumers and save lives. We urge manufacturers to key into the programme,” he said.
