Review of Policies Related to Food Safety in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities
DOWNLOADNovember 1, 2024 - Obadina Adewale Olusegun
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EmailThe document provides an extensive review of policies related to food safety in Nigeria, authored by Obadina Adewale Olusegun from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. It underscores the critical importance of food safety amidst challenges like food insecurity, communicable diseases, and natural disasters. Despite being a key public health concern, food safety often takes a back seat in the national agenda.
The National Policy on Food Safety (NPFS), first approved in 1999, aims to create a coordinated framework for food safety, involving stakeholders from both public and private sectors. The document describes the historical development of food safety regulations in Nigeria, tracing key legislations like the Food and Drug Act of 1974, the establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the implementation of the National Policy on Food Safety and its Implementation Strategy (NPFSIS) in 2014.
Key challenges noted include fragmented regulatory responsibilities, inadequate resources, and overlapping roles among federal, state, and local agencies, which result in weak enforcement of food safety standards. The document also highlights the prevalence of foodborne diseases in Nigeria, attributed to poor food handling, chemical contamination, and weak regulatory oversight. For example, it notes that foodborne illnesses result in about 173 million cases of diarrhea annually, causing significant economic losses.
The review covers other policy documents with food safety components, including the Agriculture Promotion Policy, the National Food and Nutrition Policy, and the National Policy on the Environment. However, many of these policies have limited provisions for food safety, often relegating the issue to a minor component within broader sectoral objectives.
The NPFSIS is described as Nigeria's most comprehensive food safety policy document, though it has yet to fully deliver on its goals due to delayed implementation of supportive legislation, such as the Food Safety and Quality Bill. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing surveillance, securing dedicated funding for food safety research, and promoting better coordination between agencies. Additionally, there is a call for clearer definitions of roles across agencies and greater involvement of state and local authorities to ensure that food safety practices reach all parts of the country.
The author emphasizes the importance of learning from international best practices, citing the U.S. model where food safety responsibilities are shared between agriculture and health departments. The conclusion stresses the need for policy revision, stronger public-private partnerships, and new funding mechanisms to better support food safety initiatives in Nigeria.
Key Takeaways:
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Food safety in Nigeria suffers from weak enforcement, fragmented regulatory roles, and outdated policies.
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Policies like NPFSIS aim to coordinate efforts but face challenges in implementation due to lack of resources and political will.
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Stronger coordination, new funding mechanisms, and decentralizing roles are essential for improving food safety outcomes.
