The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has called on Nigerians to renew their commitment to ensuring that every citizen has access to safe and wholesome food as part of efforts to safeguard public health and strengthen the nation’s food system.

She made the call on Monday during the 2026 World Food Safety Day celebration in Lagos, while warning that unsafe food remains a major public health threat, affecting millions of people globally through preventable foodborne illnesses, food insecurity, economic losses, reduced productivity, food export rejections, food waste and avoidable deaths.

Speaking on the theme: “From Burden to Solutions, Safe Food Everywhere,” the DG, represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs. Eva Edwards, said the agency remains fully committed to the global campaign to improve food safety in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Food Safety Management Committee and other stakeholders.

She noted that World Food Safety Day, first observed in June 2019 following its establishment by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, seeks to raise awareness of food safety and promote measures to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.

According to her, foodborne illnesses are responsible for more than 200 diseases worldwide, affecting public health, livelihoods, education and national economies, despite the fact that most cases are preventable through proper food handling, effective monitoring and coordinated interventions.

Adeyeye said food safety concerns every stage of the food supply chain, from agricultural production and harvesting to storage, transportation, processing, marketing, food service and consumption. She stressed that every stakeholder has a vital role to play in ensuring food remains safe from farm to fork.

She explained that the 2026 theme calls for a shift from merely acknowledging the burden posed by unsafe food to implementing practical and sustainable solutions through science-based regulation, education, innovation, responsible practices and collaboration.

According to her, strengthening food safety is critical to protecting Nigerians, improving nutrition, supporting trade and enhancing confidence in the country’s food system, especially as food supply chains become increasingly complex.

She said NAFDAC would continue to strengthen regulatory systems, surveillance, laboratory capacity, industry compliance and public awareness to improve food safety standards nationwide.

The DG emphasiSed that achieving safe food everywhere requires sustained implementation of best practices across the food chain, including adherence to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), proper storage and distribution systems, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), as well as public education on the World Health Organization’s Five Keys to Safer Food.

She reaffirmed that NAFDAC’s mandate as the country’s food safety regulatory authority is to ensure that food products available to Nigerians meet both national and international safety and quality standards and are produced in compliance with established regulations.

Adeyeye, however, stressed that regulation alone cannot guarantee food safety, describing partnerships among government, industry, farmers, food handlers and consumers as essential to building a resilient food safety system.

She said the World Food Safety Day celebration also provided an opportunity to reflect on progress made through improved regulatory oversight, adoption of preventive and risk-based approaches, increased public awareness and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.

“The message of this year’s theme is clear: we must move from simply recognizing the burden of foodborne diseases caused by unsafe food to actively implementing solutions that protect our communities and strengthen our food systems,” she said.

She urged Nigerians to remain vigilant by avoiding food products without proper labelling, NAFDAC registration numbers or traceable sources, noting that informed consumer choices remain a crucial component of food safety. (The Sun)

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