National Policy on Food and Nutrition in Nigeria (NPFN 2016)

A Policy serves as a cross-sectoral framework for eliminating hunger and malnutrition across Nigeria. It coordinates efforts among healthcare, food production, and social protection, focusing on vulnerable groups like women and children under five. The ultimate goal is to improve the overall dietary status and food security for all Nigerian households.

What Is This Policy?

The National Policy on Food and Nutrition is Nigeria's cross-sectoral framework for eliminating hunger, malnutrition, and micronutrient deficiency. It coordinates food production, nutrition education, healthcare, and social protection to improve the dietary status and food security of all Nigerians, with particular focus on women, infants, and children under five.

Who Does It Target?

Children under five, who face a stunting rate of 37% and wasting rate of 7% in Nigeria Pregnant and lactating women with heightened nutritional vulnerability Adolescent girls in rural and peri-urban areas at risk of anaemia and undernutrition Households in food-insecure states, particularly in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central zones Smallholder farmers producing staple and nutritious foods

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Achieve the WHO 2025 Global Nutrition Targets: 40% reduction in child stunting, 50% reduction in anaemia in women of reproductive age, zero increase in overweight children End all forms of malnutrition in Nigeria by 2030 in line with SDG 2 Integrate nutrition into agriculture, health, education, water and social protection policies to address root causes Promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, currently practised by only 29% of Nigerian mothers

Key Features

Multi-Sector Coordination: Policy is jointly owned by FMARD and FMOH, with formal nutrition coordination structures at federal, state, and LGA levels Community-Based Nutrition: Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and Community Infant and Young Child Feeding (C-IYCF) programmes at PHC level Food Fortification Mandate: Mandatory fortification of staple foods: salt (iodine), wheat flour (iron, folic acid), edible oil (vitamin A), and sugar (vitamin A) Nutrition Surveillance: National Nutrition Survey conducted every three to five years to track population nutritional status and programme impact School Feeding Integration: The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) is the primary school nutrition vehicle, providing one nutritious meal daily to 10.2 million pupils Social Protection Link: Conditional cash transfers under the National Social Safety Nets Programme (NASSP) tied to nutrition outcomes for extreme poor households

Current Status

The policy has been in effect since 2016 and is actively guiding efforts to address food and nutrition challenges in Nigeria.

Legal Framework

The National Policy on Food and Nutrition operates under the National Nutrition Policy, the National Agricultural Policy, and the National Health Act 2014. It aligns with the Nutrition Act, the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004, and Nigeria's commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 — Zero Hunger). The National Food Security Council provides coordinating authority.