By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

A Professor of Agricultural Management Productions, Prof. Adewale Dipeolu, has called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to begin the certification of food vendors and hawkers in the country, saying this will assist in ensuring that only hygienic food is being sold to Nigerians.

Prof. Dipeolu made the call while delivering the 66th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, titled: Food Demand Decisions: Not only the numerics but the characteristics, held at Oluwafemi Balogun ceremonial building.

The inaugural lecturer charged government agencies, such as NAFDAC and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to intensify efforts at ensuring that food sold in public spaces, or even in supermarkets, receive due certification before circulation into the market. He stated that this will reduce substandard and expired products being sold, stressing that NAFDAC should extend its tentacles into the informal food markets to monitor and ensure adequacy in simple hygiene rules.

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He said, “the level of hygiene and the safety of the food sold in the informal sector is questionable, but some consumers are willing to pay a premium for the safety of street foods. The Nigerian government should encourage vendors to prepare foods in a more hygienic environment and with better facilities which may ensure safety”.

” This efforts may be preceded by a well-organized public food safety enlightenment programme for consumers and producers in order to raise awareness levels among them”.
He lamented that the Nigerian laws aimed at sanitizing the street food sector were grossly outdated, stressing that these laws failed to state how often the health officer must inspect the premises of sale of food and the food.

” They also failed to describe in explicit terms, and the levels of cleanliness expected of the regulated premises, and the penalties attached to violations of the clauses need to be reviewed”.

He called for continuous inspection and enforcement of relevant laws are needed.
“Government agencies such as NAFDAC and Consumer Protection Council ( CPC) should intensify their efforts to ensure that food sold in public spaces or even supermarkets receive due certification before circulation into the market to reduce substandard and expired products being sold”.

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Professor Dipeolu maintained that “the government should intervene in the sector as it has been done in other developing countries in training, education, and supervision of food vendors to raise the hygiene and profit levels in the informal food sector”. He stressed that it is also important that traceability structures are put in place so that if there is a need for a recall, it becomes fairly easy. 

The Don argued that the level of hygiene and the safety of the food being sold in the informal sector was questionable but wondered that some consumers are willing to pay a premium for the safety of street foods. “Federal government to, as a matter of urgency, encourage vendors to prepare foods in a more hygienic environment by providing them with better facilities to ensure safety”. 

He reiterated that food demand decisions by some Nigerians is being affected by the prices and income levels of consumers, describing this as a dangerous trend at a time the country is battling with the third wave of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Vanguard News Nigeria