The President of the LivingScience Foundation, Prof. Joshua Ojo, has decried the non-regulation of unbranded food products in Nigeria, describing it as outrageous and a threat to public health.
Ojo, a Professor of Health, Physics and Environment at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said statistics showed that about 70 per cent of foods consumed by Nigerians are unbranded and not covered by any regulatory agency.
He spoke on Wednesday at the 11th National Conference on Environment and Health themed “Safe Foods, Healthy Nation: Safeguarding Food Systems in Nigeria from Farm to Fork,” held at Osun State University, Osogbo.
“What we have currently is that we depend on foreign NGOs to give direction and leadership on environment and health issues. This is suicidal and totally unacceptable.
“Let us look at NAFDAC; its DG stated that the agency’s mandate only covers branded food products. This is totally unacceptable. Because 70 per cent of our food consumption, according to statistics, is not branded. So that means we don’t have any agency taking care of 70 per cent of what we eat. This is outrageous,” he said.
The don also warned that it is self-disruptive for Nigeria to depend on foreigners for direction on environment and health issues, noting that the country has the manpower but has surrendered its sovereignty to external protocols.
Prof. Ojo appealed to the Federal Government to expand the mandate of NAFDAC and provide adequate funding for the agency to cover all foods consumed in the country.
He also stressed the need to strengthen Environmental Health Officers, saying disease prevention through sanitation is more important than curative measures.
“Vaccines are important, but we should not overrate them. The major determinant of disease is sanitation. Reports from all over the world show that when sanitation improves, health improves.
“Vaccines have their place, but preventing disease in the first place is primary. That is why we must strengthen and encourage Environmental Health Officers. They are not doing their job very well at the moment,” he noted.
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