In a bid to safeguard consumer health and halt the rising spate of foodborne illnesses, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has counseled food vendors within the food supply chain to abide by the World Health Organization (WHO) five keys of food safety.
The NAFDAC representative Mr. Aina Olugbenga urged strict compliance to food safety keys while speaking at a forum to commemorate the World Food Safety Day and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Day (MSME) organized by OSOA Food a non-governmental organization passionate about maintainance of food hygiene and safety at Bakare Dawodu Bello Market Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos on Thursday.
Aina enumerated the five safer food keys which he referred to as simple hygiene practices; “keep clean hygiene,separate raw and cook food,cook thoroughly,keep food at safe temperature,safe water and other raw materials”, while urging the food vendors to comply maximally in order to ensure a safer food for all.
OSOA Food CEO Mr. Solomon Oyeniran earlier in his welcome speech mirrored the worrying picture the WHO statistics painted which states that, “600 million people fall ill each year from food borne diseases, the annual cost for treating foodborne illnesses is estimated to $15 billion.
“The economic burden of foodborne diseases exceeds $110 billion annually in low and medium income countries due to lost productivity and health care expenses, caused by harmful chemical compounds and pathogens which in one way or the other are transferred into the food and consumed.
“Food can be contaminated with an array of hazards: bacteria, chemicals, fungi or parasites which can cause 200 different diseases. These illnesses impact health, livelihoods, education and economies. However, they can be prevented when we are informed and take action.”
Oyeniran hinted further that the body having signed an MOU with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Abuja to take the safer food message round the 774 local governments in Nigeria, still awaits the Lagos State Ministry of Health’s response to a letter written long time ago seeking approval for the sensitization message to be taken round all 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs of the State. This, the NGO considered a step in the right direction given the population of the State and having been the nerve centre of the nation’s economic hub.
The event which enjoyed the massive collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Abuja, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Waste Management Agency, targets a clear reorientation of food vendors on ensuring safe practices in their daily dealings.
A delegation from the Lagos State Ministry of Health led by Mrs. Kayode Tomilayo harped on the importance safe food consumption, while urging food vendors to take food hygiene more seriously.
The delegation cited food safety issues that arise from the farm through harvest to the market and the table where it is eventually consumed, which includes; hastened ripening of food and its dangerous aftermath as well as food enhancement to make product more appealing to consumers, while urging food vendor to stop the usual practice of exposing salt which often leads to the loss of required iodine therein.
Mrs. Kikelomo Ibraheem and Mrs Abiola Abiola from the Lagos State Safety Commission corroborated the need for general safety all around the food value chain, citing the importance of adhering to precautionary measures at all times to safe lives.
Alhaji Abdul Rauf Egbewole from one of the collaborating NGOs, gave a trajectory of the journey so far concerning safer food campaign embarked on by OSOA, he said that they have been on the matter since 2014 with a bid to ensure consumer health protection.
“Food poisoning could cause a grave health concern. We have taken it a notch higher with school safety clubs in the Primary, Secondary schools and even higher institutions.
The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) Regional Safety Manager Mr. Mustapha Kazeem was however, quick to add the importance of ensuring a safe environment where foods are processed for eventual consumption, he cited the need for periodic disposal of waste and embracing of the recycling culture amidst the vendors.
Corroborating the stance of LAWMA, Miss Gbededo Owa who represented the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) at the forum stressed that, “the environment is laced with lots of germs so, we need to be conscious of our safety hygiene.”
The elated Acting Iyaloja of Bakare Dawodu Bello Market Lady Evangelist Julianah Osalusi extols the importance of the sensitization for food vendors, while urging her members to take seriously the information availed by the safe food advocates.
