With the increasing number of Eateries and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) springing up across the country, it is not surprising that an NGO, Consumer Advocacy for Food Safety and Nutrition Initiative (CAFSANI), has raised alarm over the increasing poor compliance to quality and safety standards in many of these outlets. In addition, poor nutrition and absence of healthy food choices in the foods served to consumers in these outlets on a daily basis is believed to be a potential problem in the country.
According to the Executive Director, Prof. Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, a renowned food scientist and nutritionist in Bells University of Technology, Ota, “CAFSANI was established to serve as an advocacy platform in Nigeria and beyond which will inform, protect, educate and promote consumer interests’’. This is specifically so ‘’against the increasing incidences of sharp and unwholesome practices in the area of food safety and nutrition’’. CAFSANI has therefore, come on stream, to become the long-missing “voice of consumers” for safe and nutritious foods in Nigeria.
The goal is to leverage on the emerging innovative technologies for advocacy activities to be able to alert the general public in real-time, and to cooperate with regulators on the dangers of unethical practices, as well as improperly prepared and processed foods to consumers.
Here as elsewhere, the unsuspecting food consumer always has an expectation that must be met, in the absence of which there are adverse consequences on the health and well-being, including even resulting in death. This was why CAFSANI recently hosted a Webinar titled: “The Increasing Number of Eateries and Franchised Fast Food Outlets in Nigeria: Implications for Food Safety amid the Covid-19 Pandemic,” precisely on 7th October, 2020. The web conference, involving 59 participants examined the effects of continued, yet inexcusable gaps in the regulation matrix.
With Prof. Ogunmoyela as the moderator, many lessons on food safety were learnt from the erudite minds and seasoned food safety and nutrition experts who participated in the webinar.The Speakers highlighted the recurring challenges ofensuring food safety, which include poor regulatory compliance monitoring by the Local Government Health Authorities, absence of safety and quality enforcement guidelines, disregard for and complete absence of standard batch production schedules in many cases, as well as poor internal/external audits.In addition, other factors that negatively impact food safety in the environment were discussed, including the lack of accountability due to general environmental apathy and laxity, operators taking consumers for granted with “watered” down standards, poor hygiene,ambience and absence of good housekeeping practices in many of the facilities. There is of course, the poor and inadequate attention to service quality even to the serving of stale foods in some outlets.
All these have inadvertently led to the increasing concerns, with an estimated 173m incidences of food-borne illnesses and about 33,000 deaths being reported annually in the country. Many of these illnesses arise from the consumption of stale, unwholesome, infected, improperly prepared, and/or foods not kept within the prescribed temperature zones in these restaurants.
Unfortunately, there is no visible regulation enforcement hence operators get away with various unwholesome practices to the detriment of the consumer. Surely, such culture of impunity must no longer continue to hold sway in our food and nutrition security landscape.
It is important to note that these QSRs have become increasingly popular with the drive for “convenience” largely due to urbanization and the attendant modern lifestyle of Nigerians, especially the increasing number of ever-busy professionals, who constantly look for a quick fix for their meal requirements.
From the speakers at the webinar, various lessons were learnt. Dr. Augustin Okoruwa, Head, GAIN EatSafe Program in Nigeria stated that “Food safety is an urgent public health issue that must be given attention at the three levels of government up to the household level. Producers and Consumers need to be conscious of proper handling and storage practices, and the need to maintain recommended cooking temperatures, whilst consumers must avoid keeping cooked foods for long in vehicles or even overnight without proper refrigerationfor their own safety.
Prof. Wasiu Afolabi, Professor of Community Nutrition, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, touched tellingly on the imperative of nutrition awareness. He opined that Consumers must know the nutritional composition of what they consume and that Operators must take responsibility to ensure that consumers know the nutritional facts of the foods served in their outlets. He advocatedthe need forconsumersto know the amount of nutrients they consume per day and how to make healthier food choices. He also stressed the importance of recruiting the right quality staff, periodically trained in food handling and hygiene, as well as enforcement of strict quality control measuresby Operators. He reported study conducted in Ogun State in 2013, whichshowed that most of the Eateries do not present Healthy Food Choices to Consumers.
It is clear, according to the slogan of the World Health Organization, that “Food Safety is Everyone’s Business”. That was the significant position of Dr. Adewale Obadina, an Associate Professor/Acting Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta who is also an IUFoST BoardMember. In addition to everyone getting involved in the business of food safety, he advocated that the critical issues of microbial hazards, chemical and biological hazards, especially mycotoxins should also be given significant consideration. Many people are seen consuming moldy foods, which could pose serious foodborne illnesses to them.
CAFSANI has taken the position of recommending actionable initiativesonthe compliance gaps. These include the call for the Draft Food Safety and Quality Bill FSQB (2016),currently at the National Assembly, tobe passed into Law with significant amendments in the area ofGovernance, without any further delay.The recommendations in this regard have been sent to the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities.Part of these is that the regulatory responsibility for these Large-scale Eateries and Franchised Food Outlets cannot realistically continue to be statutorily vested in the LGAs. Rather, such professional food regulatory role should be in a competent single authority, appropriately advocating that NAFDAC should be so empowered.
Other measures are also listed that will ensure COVID-19 protocol compliance at eateries althoughHome delivery is becoming a safer option in the current climate.
Definitely, CAFSANI has rightly positioned itself to be the Voice of Consumers, knowing that food is one of the necessities of life. From this firm footing, it must prepare for a sustained public enlightenment even in various local languages, partnerships with relevant stakeholders, and get nutrition-conscious Nigerians to key into this advocacy vision.
