The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched a nationwide “Read the Food Label” campaign, urging Nigerians to pay closer attention to food labels before buying or consuming packaged food products.
Flagged off last week in partnership with several development organizations, the campaign is designed to improve nutrition literacy and help consumers make more informed choices about the food they eat.
NAFDAC says food labels carry essential information that can guide people toward safer, healthier products. The agency is asking Nigerians to check four key things before purchase: the Nutrition Facts panel, the ingredient list, the NAFDAC Registration Number, and the Best Before or Expiry Date.
Why Reading The Label Matters
According to the regulator, understanding food labels can help individuals and families make better dietary choices while lowering the risk of consuming expired, counterfeit, or unsuitable products. NAFDAC wants label-reading to become part of everyday shopping habits, not an occasional check.
The agency describes this campaign as the start of a longer national effort, one that will continue through ongoing public education on food safety and nutrition.
NAFDAC is running the initiative alongside the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Resolve to Save Lives, the Nutrition and Health Education Development (NHED) initiative, the World Health Organization (WHO) Nigeria, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), and the University of Abuja. The campaign adds to NAFDAC’s recent consumer safety efforts, which also include a newly improved Med-SAfety app designed to flag fake medicines and unsafe drug reactions.
Public health experts have long pointed out that reading food labels helps people track nutrient intake, spot allergens, compare products, and make healthier choices overall, something that matters even more as non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity continue to rise.
NAFDAC is encouraging Nigerians to join the campaign by making label-reading a habit before every purchase, calling it a small step with a real impact on personal and family health.
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