The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) has called for stronger enforcement of food safety regulations, including the arrest and prosecution of offenders where necessary.
NIFST President, Dr. Bola Osinowo, made the call on Tuesday in Lagos at a breakfast meeting with members of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET).
The meeting, organised by ANJET, focused on food safety, public awareness, regulation and the potential of Nigerian cuisine as a tourism product.
Osinowo said while education and awareness were essential to improving food safety, they must be followed by effective enforcement when unsafe practices persisted.
“When you educate, you also need to enforce,” he said.
He urged the government, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regulatory agencies to strengthen public awareness and enforcement, while providing the necessary support to improve their regulatory capacity.
According to him, NAFDAC’s Director-General had informed him that the agency required a minimum of 20,000 workers but currently had about 2,000.
Osinowo therefore called for increased government support for regulatory agencies, as well as greater involvement of local government food inspectors in monitoring food safety practices at the grassroots.
He said NIFST, through its Food Safety Committee, had been educating market women on basic hygiene, food preservation and the dangers of using harmful chemicals in food preparation.
The NIFST President stressed that the institute would continue to promote education and advocacy but warned that persistent violations would require stronger action.
“Initially we can show love, but if that is not working, we need to arrest and put action behind it,” he said.
The institute’s Public Relations Officer, Olutaller Akinwole, said awareness remained critical because many food handlers and sellers were not fully aware of the consequences of unsafe practices.
“Awareness is a very critical thing,” he said.
Akinwole said the NIFST Academy was open to collaboration with local governments, regulatory agencies and relevant associations to train food handlers and improve their understanding of food safety standards.
The NIFST National Secretary, Rasaq Oke, also advocated collaboration between NIFST, NAFDAC and other relevant agencies to educate people involved in unsafe food practices.
“Food safety is everybody’s responsibility,” he said, stressing the need for collective action among stakeholders.
Also speaking, the Local Organising Committee Chairperson, Taiwo Ubany, emphasised the importance of public awareness, noting that many people remained unaware of unsafe food handling practices and their potential consequences.
Former Chairman of the NIFST Lagos Chapter, Sunday Bamgbose, linked food safety to Nigeria’s tourism ambitions, saying the country could leverage its diverse cuisine to attract visitors and promote Nigerian food globally.
“I can see the potential of tourism in Nigeria if we put our act together,” he said.
Bamgbose said Nigeria had a wide variety of indigenous foods that could be promoted internationally, but stressed that food safety was crucial to the overall experience of tourists and visitors.
He recalled that the Lagos Chapter of NIFST had previously worked with street food vendors, educating them on safe food handling practices and providing personal protective equipment.
According to him, stronger partnerships would enable stakeholders to expand such initiatives despite resource constraints and further connect food safety with tourism development.
“If we do this, I believe we start talking of, just as we talk of Chinese food, we start talking of Nigerian food in a very short time,” Bamgbose said.
Earlier, Osinowo said NIFST, established in 1976, was celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of activities, including its 50th conference and annual general meeting in Lagos.
He said the institute currently had more than 15,000 members worldwide and 11 active chapters across Nigeria.
According to him, NIFST brings together professionals from academia, industry, government, research, regulatory agencies and the hospitality sector.
He said the golden anniversary provided an opportunity for the institute to highlight its contributions to food science, technology, food safety and professional capacity development in Nigeria.
