As Stakeholders Seek United Front On Food Safety

Stakeholders in the food and health care sector have called for enhanced collaboration in a united front, to accelerate food safety measures in combatting food borne illnesses in Nigeria.

The call became expedient as incidents of food contamination continue to pose a threat to public health, prompting stakeholders to highlight the urgency of collective action.

Contaminated food, poor sanitation practices, inadequate food storage and handling and lack of access to clean water, all contribute to the occurrence of foodborne diseases and in Nigeria, common foodborne diseases include: diarrheal diseases, cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and bacterial infections like Salmonella and E. coli.

According to report, every year, 600 million people fall sick as a result of around 200 different types of foodborne illness globally, as findings further show that more than 200,000 people die yearly in Nigeria due to food poisoning and contamination.

According to the director general, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim, Nigeria’s journey towards achieving optimal food safety is far from over.

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Speaking at a symposium to mark this 2023 World Food Safety Day in Abuja, Salim, who was represented by Yunusa Mohammed, noted that as a nation, Nigeria must remain vigilant, proactive, and adapt approach to food safety, as rapid changes in global food production, supply chains and emerging technologies demand continuous improvement and innovation of our standards and regulatory frameworks.

He called for collaboration to improve food handling, production, processing and distribution practices, as well as to empower and educate consumers to make informed choices and demand safe food.

The theme of the year “Food Standards Save lives” is to recognise that standards not only provide guidance to farmers and processors on the  hygienic handling of food, but also defines the maximum level of additives and contaminants that could be consumed.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO ), food safety is not only a crucial component to food security, but it also plays a vital role in reducing foodborne disease.

FAO representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero said the burden of such illness falls most heavily on the poor and on the young. In addition, foodborne illness is responsible for 420, 000 preventable deaths every year globally.

He said, “We are reminded that today is significant to us all because we are making people more aware of food safety issues. The events planned to mark this day is targeted at demonstrating how to prevent illness through food safety, discussing collaborative approaches to improved food safety across sectors and promoting solutions and ways of being more food safe in Nigeria.”