Analysts urge FG to implement food policy

The President, Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria, Dr. Adamu Dahiru, has called on the ministries of health, agriculture and rural development and trade and commerce to fast track the implementation of the National Food Policy.

Dahiru, who made the call in Lagos at the 18th IPAN training workshop tagged, “Food Safety: An Imperative for National Development,” said when implemented, the policy would protect Nigerians from buying substandard and unwholesome food products that could endanger their lives.

He stated that the policy would also ensure that foods produced, sold and consumed in the country meet international standards.

Dahiru said, “Nigerian products are usually rejected in the international markets because maintaining quality and standards are not yet the culture of the industry. To safeguard public health and ensure that Nigerians do not continue to eat foods that put their health at risk, issues of food safety, quality and nutritional sufficiency must be tackled head on.

“We appeal to the Ministry of Health and their counterparts in agriculture and rural development, trade and commerce to fast-track the completion of the National Food Policy.”

In his opening address at the workshop, the former President of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, Mr. Roland Olawale, said the way food is handled, prepared and stored could either predispose or reduce one’s risks of contacting food-borne diseases.

He said, “The confidence of consumers in the safety and quality of the food supply depends on their perception of the integrity and effectiveness of food control operations and activities.”

http://www.punchng.com/health/analysts-urge-fg-to-implement-food-policy/