FSAN and food safety

Mention the name NAFDAC, standing for the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, to the average Nigerian consumer and the erroneous impression is that its regulatory activities are more tailored towards drugs control than that of food. That should not be. Safe, nutritious and balanced diet is not only one of man’s most basic needs but a biological one. It has also become an economic and political weapon in most countries of the world. Inadequate food is constantly seen as a potential source of family break-ups leading to recurring socio-economic problems in communities and nations.

It is in that wise that the establishment of the new Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) Directorate by NAFDAC is most welcome. Its salutary functions include the need to take all necessary steps to ensure that food manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, sold and marketed in Nigeria meet the highest standard of Food Safety. Indeed, the Directorate is fully dedicated to protecting public health and consumer interests by providing a one -stop shop for food in the area of food safety matters.

A sustained and effective National Food Hygiene and Safety Policy will assure that food supplied to the consumer is adequate, nutritious, wholesome and of adequate quality and quantity as demanded by the consumer. It should not be contaminated, hazardous, unsafe or injurious to the consumers’ health.

FSAN has therefore put in place a policy framework to key into global best practices to align with the vision of the agency. The National Food Hygiene and Safety policy is an integral part of the Nigerian Health Policy. Although when  the Abuja Health Declaration, came into being years ago it was  based on achieving health for all Nigerians by the year 2010, food safety remains a consistent feature of NAFDAC in tandem with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals(SDG).

Globally, it is agreed that adequate supply of safe, nutritious and wholesome food to the population is a major component of every nation’s health policy. These must be maintained at internationally accepted standards. A good National Food Hygiene and Safety Policy goes a long way towards improving the wholesomeness of available food, create better nutritional awareness, improve health status and improve food trade and economic development. Food-borne illness and disease such as diarrhea, typhoid, and dysentery form a part of the morbidity and mortality profile of Nigerians and have been on the increase in recent times.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports have severally indicated that illness arising from contaminated food is perhaps the most widespread health problem in the contemporary world. It has become a significant reason that has reduced socio-economic productivity, worldwide. “About a decade ago, at least 500 million people on earth, majority of them children, suffered from malnutrition and hunger. Most of them were found living in those parts of the world where the food consumed were mostly susceptible to contamination by agents of diseases,” says the report.

But it was on 3rd December, 2015 that WHO released its first- ever estimates of the global burden of food-borne diseases. It indicated that almost 1 in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food and 420 000 die as a result. Under- 5 children are at particularly high risk, with 125, 000 children dying from food-borne diseases every year. The Report stated that 30percent of all deaths from food-borne diseases are in children under the age of 5 years, despite the fact that they make up only 9percent of the global population.
The report, which estimates the burden of food-borne diseases caused by 31 agents including  bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals – states that each year as many as 600 million, fall ill after consuming contaminated food.

Food hygiene and safety policy is, therefore, aimed at mitigating the major problems, which impede healthy development of the people and contribute, in no small measure, to the morbidity profile in Nigeria.

It in the realization of these challenges that NAFDAC and the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA) have started a strategic partnership aimed at ensuring food safety in the country. Both agencies articulated a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016 to facilitate and strengthened their collaboration.

During that historic meeting between the two agencies in Abuja, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, NBMA Director General/CEO revealed that a lot of Nigerians were still apprehensive about the quality of food imported into the country.  Notable amongst these are those with genetically modified materials. This calls for them to work together to allay fears and ensure safety of such products to human health. He stressed the need for synergy between both agencies. Such a partnership will protect Nigerians, the environment as well as achieve government aim of setting them up.

“We need the cooperation of each other to work in harmony to carryout testing and certification of imported genetic modified food products,” he said. In a response, Mrs. U. A. Bobboi, representing NAFDAC Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition noted that government and Nigerians will gain immensely if both agencies work together. She suggested ways and approaches both agencies can adopt to ensure the attainment of their mandates without compromising on the safety standards of genetically modified foods imported into the country.

It would be recalled that by Sections 5 and 30 of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act Cap NI Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 the Agency has come up with Food-related Regulations on   Food Irradiation, Additives, FoodMarketing of Infant and Young Children. Others include Fortification Regulation, Fortification with Vitamin A Food Grade (Table or Cooking), Salt, Fruit Juice and Nectar, Cocoa Products Regulations, Milk and Dairy Products, Fats And Oil.

FSAN should therefore go ahead and engage in sustained public enlightenment on its functions and the roles consumers should play to ensure their own food safety.

 

Ayo Oyoze Baje