In a bid to ensure that Nigerians consume safe and wholesome food, an expert has called on government at all levels to improve food safety inspection in the country through training of regulators.
To ensure that regulators properly understand the concept of food safety, James Marsh, a food safety expert, and executive director, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) established a Food Safety Academy in Lagos.
Marsh who spoke during a graduation ceremony organised by the academy for food regulators in Lagos said the academy took it upon itself to invest in capacity building, because most people who are into food safety, are not thoroughly trained.
“We need to always talk about food safety because it is a matter of life and death that affects everyone,” he said.
“We also need to improve on our food regulation and safeguard the health of people, because lots have died due to what they eat,” he said.
He noted that the food safety chain starts from the farmland, saying that food becomes unsafe when farmers get it wrong owing to inappropriate applications of chemicals right from the farm.
He said that the food chain starts from the farmers and that if farmers get it wrong due to poor or inappropriate application of chemicals, there is nothing the manufacturers can do.
He says that the academy takes its students through the practical side of food safety. “We look at each stage of the food chain, address the hazard, and make sure it is brought to safe harbour before it goes to the next level, and most importantly the table.”
Speaking also, Adetundun Marsh, chief operating officer of James Marsh and Associate while speaking about the academy said, the academy looks at the food chain holistically from the farm to the table.
She said the cardinal objective of the academy is to train young men and women and regulators on the practical side of food safety as well as having an understanding of the food chain.
She noted that the academy makes sure that its students can identify the hazard at every stage of the process.
“We support food safety Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and quality control agencies to undertake modern controls that are based on risk analysis principle as well as guide enterprises of all sizes to install and implement good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices and quality management systems based on different international standards,” she said.
Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, vice-chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU) while speaking as the chairman of the event also stressed the need to train more food safety regulators in the country.
Fagbohun who was represented at the event by Abiodun Denloye, a professor and the president of the Nigerian Biological Safety Association (NIBSA) said HACCP should be the foundation of the food safety management system.
He said food safety remains a key challenge and threatens the health of people and the competitiveness of the agricultural industry.
He said HACCP certification was in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s fulfillment in ensuring food safety globally and that one of the easiest ways of getting the infection is through what we put in the mouth.
“This shows that there is a need to raise human capacity to regulate the food chain in the country,” he said.
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