Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Food Safety Academy Nigeria (HAN) has graduated 15 food regulators in Lagos State to enhance food regulation and safety across the country.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Lagos, the Executive Director of HAN, Dr James Marsh, harped on capacity building to improve food regulation and safety in the country, noting that there were few food regulators in Nigeria.
He said food safety entails life and death, noting that unfortunately, the foundation of food safety in Nigeria needs improvement, as a lot of people die from eating adulterated and contaminated food daily.
According to him, most of the country’s food exports were rejected because of the chemical residue, which is why the academy is keen in training regulators to understand the concept of food safety.
“We need to improve on our food regulation and safeguard the health of people, because lots of people have died due to what they eat. The food chain starts from the farmers, and if the farmers get it wrongly due to poor or inappropriate application of chemicals, there is nothing the manufacturer can do,” Marsh said.
The executive director, however, advised the graduates not to be too subjective during inspection, but should rather use science as an inspection tool, noting that they have an edge over their counterparts in other parts of the world.
The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Olarenwaju Fagbohun, who was the chairman of the ceremony, said that there was a gap in human capacity, while emphasising the need to train more food safety regulators.
Fagbohun, who was represented by Professor of Medical and Applied Entomologist, LASU, Abiodun Denloye, said that HACCP certification was in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) fulfillment in ensuring food safety globally.
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