Mr Suuru Avoseh, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, says that the House will soon enact a law that would check the excesses of fast food producers.
Avoseh, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that most of the foods prepared by various restaurants were “junk foods.
“And these junk foods are harmful to human health,’’ he stressed.
Avoseh said that the House would strive to emulate the National Assembly which, he noted, was planning to ban the importation, distribution and consumptions of energy drinks in the country.
“For instance, the presence of caffeine in energy drinks is injurious to the human body; some people take these foods ignorantly, without considering its side-effects on their body.
“Most of the foods are junks, which are not good for our consumption,’’ he added.
Avoseh said that “junk foods should not replace our normal meals, as most of them contain too much fat and sugar which are not only unhealthy but are also addictive.’’
The lawmaker said that many people had been addicted to eating junk foods, adding that such dietary habits often resulted in either obesity or diabetes, while posing serious health threats to the body.
Avoseh reiterated that junk foods did not contain the nutrients which the body needed to stay healthy.
“Fast foods do not have adequate amounts of protein and good carbohydrates which the body needs,’’ he added.
He, however, stressed that Nigeria was endowed with a wide variety of healthy foods which were good for human consumption.
Avoseh noted that a lot of money was spent annually on the health sector because of diseases which could be prevented through purposeful policies and laws.
NAN recalls that a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Yacoob Alebiosu (ACN-Lagos), recently moved a motion on the need to proscribe the sale, distribution and consumption of all brands of caffeinated energy drinks in the country.
Alebiosu said that several brands of energy drinks contained high levels of ingredients and stimulants that posed serious health risks such as kidney damage, seizures and stroke to consumers.