Nutrition specialists in Nigeria are calling on the federal government to make it compulsory for bouillon and seasoning cubes to be fortified with folic acid and vitamin B12, arguing it is one of the cheapest and fastest ways to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies. Nigeria set voluntary fortification guidelines for bouillon cubes in September 2024, permitting the addition of folic acid, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and iodine, but experts say voluntary compliance has been too slow to create meaningful nationwide change.
Current estimates cited by nutrition specialists suggest more than 40 percent of Nigerian women of reproductive age do not get enough folate, while vitamin B12 deficiency remains common in lower-income households with limited access to animal-based foods. Olusola Malomo, Assistant Director of Dietetics at Lagos State Health Service Commission's General Hospital, Badagry, has said fortification could meaningfully reduce neural tube birth defects, but only with strong, enforced compliance rather than voluntary participation. The push comes as Nigeria has separately been named chair of the ECOWAS food fortification programme, with the National Fortification Alliance targeting 70 to 100 percent compliance across mandatory food categories including flour, sugar, vegetable oil and salt.
