Adequate nutrition in the early years of life is an essential condition for
children to develop to their full potential. Studies have confirmed the main
nutritional problems in Nigeria to include: inadequate intake of energy, protein,
vitamin A, iron, and iodine; poor infant feeding and care practices; and diet
related noncommunicable diseases. Added to this is the emergence of the
phenomenon “nutrition transition,” which is promoting a double-barrelled
nutritional condition where both under- and overnutrition exist simultaneously.
The implications of this phenomenon, and the roles of the private sector and
regulating agencies in alleviating the double burden of malnutrition, are the
major thrust of this paper.