FG Seeks Stronger Enforcement Against Food Adulteration, Unsafe Food Practices

The federal government has called for stronger enforcement of food safety regulations and the deployment of qualified food science and technology professionals at the grassroots to curb food adulteration and unsafe food handling practices across the country.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, said the use of harmful chemicals to ripen fruits, preserve beans, soften meat and adulterate palm oil posed serious threats to public health.

Udeh, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, warned that unsafe food consumption could cause more than 200 diseases, including cancer, stressing the need for coordinated action by government agencies, regulatory institutions and citizens to protect consumers.

He cited the use of calcium carbide to ripen fruits, dichlorvos, popularly known as sniper, to preserve beans and grains, paracetamol to soften meat, and detergents or bleaching agents during cassava processing as some of the dangerous practices prevalent in the country.

The minister also referenced World Health Organisation figures indicating that approximately 866 million people globally are affected by foodborne illnesses annually, resulting in about 1.55 million deaths, including 143,000 children under five.

He said Nigeria records an estimated 50 million foodborne illnesses and more than 53,000 related deaths annually.

According to him, the government has established laws and regulatory institutions to address food safety concerns, but effective implementation and enforcement remain critical to achieving results.

Udeh said Nigeria produces approximately 3,000 food science and technology professionals annually from about 70 tertiary institutions, but their expertise is not being adequately utilised, particularly in the public service.

He explained that the absence of an established professional cadre had limited the deployment of qualified personnel to monitor food processing, preservation, storage and distribution.

The minister said the government was facilitating the establishment of a professional cadre for food science and technology practitioners to strengthen accountability and ensure that qualified personnel oversee food production and handling.

He urged state and local governments to strengthen inspections of markets, restaurants, abattoirs and food processing centres, while adopting the food safety operational manual developed by the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology.

Udeh also disclosed plans to convene a high-level national stakeholders’ meeting involving relevant government institutions and players across the food value chain to coordinate practical interventions against food fraud.

He called on Nigerians to report suspected cases of food adulteration and unsafe handling practices, insisting that enforcement should not be left to government agencies alone.

“If you see something, you say something. The eyes of the government are the eyes of everyone. If we see and do not report, how would people know? How would those that enforce know?” he said.

The minister further disclosed that Nigeria had locally developed technologies for safer food processing, preservation, storage and packaging, including solar dryers, improved fish-smoking kilns, grain storage systems and cassava processing equipment.

He said the ministry was promoting shared community processing facilities to enable small-scale food operators to access affordable equipment, training and practical guidance.

Also speaking, the Registrar of the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, raised concerns over the increasing adulteration of food products, particularly palm oil, with prohibited substances such as Sudan IV dye.

Demonstrating the practice at the briefing, Ezeh showed how some traders used the industrial dye to deepen the colour of palm oil and make adulterated products appear more attractive to unsuspecting consumers.

She said the substance was also used in Bambara nut products for preparing moi-moi, particularly when the available quantity of palm oil was insufficient to achieve the desired colour.

The registrar warned that some food producers deliberately engaged in the practice for financial gain, sometimes operating secretly to avoid detection by regulatory authorities.

She also identified the open display of garri in markets, poor food storage and the washing of fruits with potentially contaminated water as practices that could expose consumers to harmful microorganisms and other contaminants.

Ezeh explained that garri displayed in open containers could be contaminated by dust, rodents, human saliva and other environmental hazards, potentially exposing consumers to infections.

She stressed that food safety monitoring should begin from the source of raw materials and extend through processing, packaging, transportation, storage and eventual sale to consumers.

According to her, deploying qualified food science and technology officers to local government areas would strengthen routine inspections and close existing gaps in food safety monitoring.

“The solution to curb food safety practices in Nigeria is to allow the professionals to do their work. That is the missing link in food safety in Nigeria,” she said.

She added that consumers should not be left to determine the safety of food products through individual tests, insisting that government authorities must ensure routine inspections and compliance with established standards.

Ezeh also advocated improved packaging of locally processed foods, particularly garri, to prevent exposure to dust, insects and other contaminants during transportation and sale.

She urged the three tiers of government to prioritise the recruitment and deployment of food science and technology professionals, noting that effective monitoring would help prevent adulteration and restore public confidence in food products.