The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has commended the Federal Government for launching the National Guidelines for Public Procurement of Food and Related Services.
CAPPA described the policy as a major step toward improving nutrition in public institutions and promoting healthier food environments across Nigeria.
The guidelines, published in December 2025 and officially launched in Abuja on Monday, July 13, 2026, were developed by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP), relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners, professional bodies and civil society organisations.
The framework establishes nutrition standards for food procured with public funds for institutions including schools and school feeding programmes, hospitals, correctional facilities, NYSC orientation camps, orphanages, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, emergency shelters and other government-funded facilities.
Among its provisions, the Guidelines restrict the procurement, sale and service of sugar-sweetened beverages and beverages containing non-sugar sweeteners in public institutions. They also set limits on sodium, saturated fats and trans fats, promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, encourage local sourcing of food and integrate nutrition and food safety standards into public procurement.
Reacting to the development, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, described the policy as “a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards healthier food environments.”
“Government remains one of the country’s largest purchasers of food. Every day, millions of meals are served through schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, NYSC camps, IDP camps and other public institutions. What government chooses to buy inevitably shapes what millions of Nigerians eat. The Guidelines recognise that public procurement is not just another purchasing activity but a powerful public health intervention,” he said.
CAPPA noted that public food procurement in Nigeria had previously lacked uniform nutrition-focused standards, allowing cost and convenience to take precedence over food quality. According to the organisation, the new framework has the potential to transform institutional feeding by placing nutrition at the centre of procurement decisions.
The group particularly welcomed the introduction of maximum sodium thresholds for processed and packaged foods, in line with the National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction, 2024.
Under the new standards, each adult meal served through public procurement should contain no more than 700 milligrams of sodium, equivalent to 1.75 grams of salt, representing 35 per cent of the recommended daily sodium intake. The limits are adjusted for children and other population groups.
The Guidelines also prohibit the procurement of partially hydrogenated oils and require that food products contain no more than 2 grams of trans fat per 100 grams, while mandating manufacturers to declare trans-fat content on product labels.
For retail outlets located within public institutions, the policy encourages the promotion of healthier food choices through improved product placement, affordable pricing and menu labelling that identifies healthier options, including foods with low sodium or no added sugar.
CAPPA also welcomed the requirement that at least 30 per cent of institutional food procurement budgets be spent on locally grown or produced food supplied by smallholder farmers and community vendors, describing the provision as a strategy that could improve nutrition while strengthening local food systems and supporting rural livelihoods.
The organisation said the Guidelines align Nigeria with global efforts to leverage public procurement as a tool for preventing diet-related diseases, noting that the framework draws on the World Health Organization’s Action Framework for Developing and Implementing Public Food Procurement and Service Policies for a Healthy Diet.
While applauding the Federal Government, CAPPA stressed that the effectiveness of the policy would depend on its implementation.
The organisation urged the Bureau of Public Procurement to immediately establish the National Food Procurement Oversight Committee (NFPOC), as provided in the Guidelines, to monitor compliance, investigate violations and facilitate civil society participation in the implementation process.
It also called for the appointment of monitoring officers across public institutions, regular inspections, quarterly compliance reports, annual independent audits, the creation of a central compliance database and the publication of annual institutional compliance reports.
“Launching the Guidelines is an important first step. The real measure of success will depend on how faithfully these standards are applied in everyday procurement and food service operations. Procurement officers, caterers, contractors and food service providers must receive the training and support required to comply,” Oluwafemi said.
CAPPA further urged public institutions at the federal, state and local government levels to immediately begin aligning their procurement systems, contracts, menus and food service operations with the provisions of the Guidelines.
The organisation congratulated the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, participating government agencies, development partners including Resolve to Save Lives and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, professional bodies and civil society organisations that contributed to the development of the policy.
It added that it would continue supporting implementation through research, public education, stakeholder engagement and independent monitoring.