Experts, Stakeholders Tackle Problems Of Food Safety In Nigeria

Public health experts, regulators, and industry stakeholders across Nigeria’s food value chain have expressed the need to strengthen consumer protection and food industry standards in the Country.

The stakeholders who gathered for the 2025 Food Safety Workshop, held in Lagos in collaboration with DIDONI Company Limited and themed “Food Safety First: Protecting Consumers, Empowering Industries,” harped on the urgent need to address rising concerns around food quality, safety practices, and regulatory compliance.

Declaring the workshop open, the Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, emphasised the urgency of ensuring safe food systems in both formal and informal sectors.

He noted that “food safety must be central to our health and industrial policies in his welcome address. Protecting the public from food-borne risks is not negotiable, and it requires collaboration across all levels—government, private sector, and consumers.”

Mojola commended DIDONI Company Limited for partnering with the state to build a resilient and safety-conscious food industry. Lagos remains committed to creating a robust regulatory environment that empowers industries while safeguarding consumer health.

While fielding questions, the chief executive officer of DIDONI Company Limited, Mr Adekola Josepe, pointed out that “When food is unsafe, lives are at risk, economies suffer, and consumer confidence is eroded. This workshop is a clarion call for Allergies American players—big and small—to place food safety at the core of their operations in Nigeria.”

The workshop featured panel discussions and technical sessions with stakeholders in food and confectionery. It focused on Best practices in food processing and packaging, compliance with NAFDAC and SON food safety guidelines, emerging threats from contaminated and adulterated foods, and training and certification for food handlers.

Participants shared real-world experiences and case studies, underlining how lapses in food safety can lead to product recalls, legal liabilities, and reputational damage.