Introduction
It’s late. You’re hungry. There’s no light, and you’re too tired to cook. You reach for a pack of
instant noodles, add boiling water, a few spices, and in less than five minutes, dinner is served.
It’s fast, filling, and affordable, but is it really harmless?
Across Nigeria, packaged and processed foods have become a daily feature in many
households. Instant noodles, canned drinks, sweetened cereals, powdered soups, and
ready-to-eat snacks are now found in homes from Lagos to Lokoja. For many, they offer a
simple solution to the complex challenges of time, income, and access to fresh food.
But underneath that convenience lies a growing concern: what are we trading for the ease of
modern eating?
Let’s start with instant noodles — the poster child of convenience meals in Nigeria. As of 2023,
Nigeria ranked as the 11th largest consumer of instant noodles in the world, with over 1.27
billion servings consumed annually, according to the World Instant Noodles Association. These
products are cheap and available everywhere, from roadside kiosks to supermarkets. For
students, bachelors, low-income earners, and even some middle-class families, noodles have
become a go-to meal.
However, while noodles may satisfy hunger, they don’t necessarily nourish the body. Most are
high in sodium and low in fiber, protein, and essential nutrients. The flavoring powders and
seasoning oils often contain additives, preservatives, and unhealthy fats that, when consumed
regularly, can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and weight gain. A 2022
study in the Nigerian Journal of Nutritional Sciences found that regular consumers of instant
noodles had significantly lower intakes of key micronutrients like calcium, vitamin A, and iron
compared to those who ate more traditional, home-cooked meals.
The issue isn’t just about nutrition. It’s also about economics. Many Nigerians aren’t choosing
convenience foods simply because they’re lazy or uninterested in cooking. For some, it’s a
survival strategy. The rising cost of fresh produce and protein-rich foods has made cooking from
scratch an expensive luxury. A bunch of ugu that once sold for ₦100 can now go for double or
triple, depending on the season. The price of tomatoes, onions, and palm oil fluctuates so wildly
that many households are forced to rethink their shopping lists every week.
In comparison, processed foods are stable, shelf-friendly, and require little to no fuel or
electricity, which, in a country plagued by power cuts and high cooking gas prices, makes them
an easy choice.
Marketing also plays a role. Turn on your radio or TV, and chances are you’ll hear jingles
celebrating instant seasoning cubes, sweet breakfast cereals, and snacks that promise energy
or “smartness” for children. The packaging is colorful. The promises are bold. And the
convenience is irresistible.
But what’s missing in this equation is balance. Packaged foods are not inherently evil. In fact,
they can play a useful role, especially during emergencies or when fresh food isn’t available.
The problem arises when they become the main meal, not the backup plan.
Children are particularly vulnerable in this trend. Many school-age kids now carry only biscuits,
flavored drinks, or “sugar bread” as breakfast and lunch. The long-term effect of this kind of
eating is a generation at risk of undernutrition, even while appearing well-fed. Hidden hunger —
where the body lacks essential nutrients despite regular calorie intake — is becoming a silent
epidemic.
There’s also an environmental cost to consider. The rise in packaged foods means more plastic
wrappers, sachets, and disposable containers — most of which end up littering streets and
clogging drainage systems. The very convenience that helps us eat quickly often comes with a
waste burden that our cities are struggling to handle.
So, where does that leave us?
Convenience, when used wisely, can be a tool. But it should not replace nutrition. As a country,
we need to rethink how we feed ourselves in a way that balances ease, cost, and health. That
could mean investing in local food processing that retains more nutrients, promoting urban
farming to reduce the cost of fresh produce, or simply encouraging better food literacy through
community campaigns.
Because in the end, every pack of noodles or can of soda is not just a meal. It’s a choice. And
collectively, these choices are shaping our health, our economy, and even the environment
around us
