The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced an 18-month grace period for food manufacturers to fully comply with new regulations eliminating industrially produced Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA) from Nigeria’s food chain. This gives companies until early 2026 before strict enforcement begins.
The initiative, launched as a comprehensive TFA elimination strategy and regulatory roadmap, shifts Nigeria from policy adoption to aggressive implementation of world-class standards. The regulation sets a limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat or oil.
NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted the importance of this move during her keynote speech posted on the agency’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday.
“The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative. Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent,” Adeyeye stressed.
The moratorium is designed to give manufacturers time to:
- Exhaust existing stock with outdated labels
- Reformulate their products to meet the new legal limit
The regulation directly targets a major dietary risk factor linked to heart disease, stroke, and premature deaths globally.
Nigeria’s commitment builds on its recognition by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023 for adopting best-practice TFA elimination policies. With this roadmap, the country is poised to secure WHO validation of a full elimination programme, strengthening its position as a regional leader in public health interventions.NAFDAC Grants 18-Month Grace Period for Trans-Fat Ban Enforcement
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced an 18-month grace period for food manufacturers to fully comply with new regulations eliminating industrially produced Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA) from Nigeria’s food chain. This gives companies until early 2026 before strict enforcement begins.
The initiative, launched as a comprehensive TFA elimination strategy and regulatory roadmap, shifts Nigeria from policy adoption to aggressive implementation of world-class standards. The regulation sets a limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat or oil.
NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted the importance of this move during her keynote speech posted on the agency’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday.
“The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative. Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent,” Adeyeye stressed.
The moratorium is designed to give manufacturers time to:
- Exhaust existing stock with outdated labels
- Reformulate their products to meet the new legal limit
The regulation directly targets a major dietary risk factor linked to heart disease, stroke, and premature deaths globally.
Nigeria’s commitment builds on its recognition by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023 for adopting best-practice TFA elimination policies. With this roadmap, the country is poised to secure WHO validation of a full elimination programme, strengthening its position as a regional leader in public health interventions.
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