Federal Government

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole,  said the Federal Government will continue to ensure that only wholesome food products were traded and consumed within the country.


Adewole stated this in Abuja at a workshop titled: `` Proposals of Legal and Institutional Reform of the Food Safety System in Nigeria.``

The minister stated that the Federal Government placed great importance on food safety, saying that everyone needed safe and nutritious food everyday to survive.

Represented by Mrs Gloria Chukwumah, Director, Food and Drugs services in the ministry, Adewole said the first goal of food policy was to modernise the Nigerian food safety regulatory framework in line with international best practices.

``Food Safety, however, needs a joint national effort since the foods we eat are mostly farmed and processed thousands of miles across State and National borders.

``It is therefore essential that government MDAs at the National and State levels need to work with the private sector to ascertain the safety of food from farm to table.

``The goal, with the support from the FAO, under the supervision of the National Food Safety Management Committee (NFSMC) has been implemented to the point of production of its draft documents.

`` The country still has lots of grounds to cover before getting to the point where we can fully benefit from this draft food safety bill and the proposed institutional reforms,`` the minister said.

In her speech, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Representative in Nigeria, Ms Louise Setshwaelo, has said that Nigeria needs a robust regulatory framework to re-energise the agricultural sector.
FAO’s Representative in Nigeria, Ms Louise Setshwaelo,

Setshwaelo said that the robust framework would turn institutions around to encourage agricultural production in the country.

``Since we started implementing this programme in 2015, we have made some progress in implementing the activities scheduled.

`` The three studies carried out early in 2015 were reviewed food safety legislation in Nigeria, control institutions and inspection capacities, practices and procedures to provide evidence needed to inform the processes,`` she said.

FAO`s Rep said that the studies were to identify gaps and priorities areas in capacity building, updating of the legislation and institutional structures.

She thanked the Federal Government and other donor agencies that had been supporting the organisation to ensure that the revisions and reforms proposed were relevant to make Nigeria Food Control efficient and effective.