The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and members of the Association of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) have agreed to collaborate further to ensure that a food safety culture is entrenched in Nigeria.

The decision to jointly chart a new path for food safety in the country was reached on Friday in Lagos at the 2024 End-of-Year Stakeholders’ dialogue and feedback session by NAFDAC, where both sides, the regulator and industry had frank discussions with the aim of ensuring food safety in Nigeria.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs Eva Edwards, disclosed that the dialogue session with the FSAN Directorate had become part of the Agency’s calendar being the third consecutive annual edition.

“This is our third consecutive end-of-year dialogue and feedback session, so I dare say it has come to stay as a way of continually striving to serve you better,” she said, adding that the engagement was aimed at having a meaningful dialogue about food safety, share insights and collaboratively address the challenges faced in ensuring the safety and quality of the food supply.

The NAFDAC DG noted that the gathering was a testament to the critical role that the food sector plays in safeguarding public health and sustaining consumer trust. She added that it also provides a platform to discuss salient concerns and share information on new developments and NAFDAC regulatory processes for food manufacturing facilities in Nigeria.

“Food safety is a shared responsibility,” she said, adding that “we have a moral obligation to protect the health of our communities.”

The NAFDAC boss maintained that the impact of unsafe food can be far reaching, affecting not only public health but also economies and trade. She stressed that the food sector has a critical role to play in implementing robust food safety standards, adopting innovative solutions, and fostering a food safety culture.

Prof Adeyeye further stated that “as regulators, our job is to provide appropriate guidance leading to voluntary compliance, working with you, alongside you, to address challenges in meeting regulatory requirements.”

“This is essentially the reason for our gathering today, to have frank discussions. How can we serve you better? What went well in 2024 and what did not go well in 2024? In which areas would we like to see improvement on both sides; our side as regulators and your side as industry? Where are the gaps? What opportunities do we see and how can we leverage those opportunities,” she said.

According to her, these evaluations and reflections are important for strengthening our food safety system, adding that the industry’s feedback is invaluable in shaping regulatory policies at NAFDAC.

“Our desire is to create a food safety ecosystem that is proactive, transparent and resilient. We are focusing on initiatives like risk categorisation of local food establishments, while discussions on digital food traceability have commenced with the service provider.

Prof Adeyeye maintained that these are geared towards improving the food safety system, adding that “together we can set new benchmarks for food safety.”

She stated that the efforts of the industry are critical in protecting public health and building trust in the food we consume. “Let us use this platform to exchange ideas to address concerns and chart a path towards ensuring a safe and sustainable food system for Nigeria,” she said.

The NAFDAC boss disclosed that the Agency had received several applications from manufacturers for change in formulation of their products. She however, noted that when applications for change in formulation are received, the Agency works to verify that such changes in formulation would not have negative effects on the nutritional content or value of the products based on scientific justification.

The Chairman of the Technical Committee of the AFBTE, Mr. Fred Chiazor, commended NAFDAC for the opportunity given to the industry operators to rub minds on the way forward for the industry in the coming year.

“Things have changed in NAFDAC,’ he said, adding that ‘we are no more in the era of Police and criminal. I caught you here, I did not catch you there.’ Rather, he said ‘we are becoming more strategic in our thinking.

“We also want to bring in suggestions for the future,” he said.

He urged members to be open as they would not be victimised for speaking their minds.