Review of Food Safety Policy in Nigeria

Abstract

Food safety is an integral part of food and nutrition security. Foodborne diseases (FBD) can occur when food safety measures are not applied. Unfortunately, most of the burden of foodborne illness is shouldered by children under five years of age and people living in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The foundation of food safety is built upon a quality-safety culture, compliance with food laws, regulation, policy, traceability, and food safety management systems encompassing documentation, training, auditing, reporting and corrective action. This paper reviews four existing national policy documents in Nigeria, three of which include food safety components.  The fourth document, the National Policy on Food Safety and Its Implementation Strategy (NPFSIS), is Nigeria’s principal food safety policy document and was reviewed in more detail. This review focuses on the situational and analytical concepts of the policy framework of the National Food Safety System (NFSS) in Nigeria. It also examines the status of the implementation of the NPFSIS 2014 and its alignment with international best practices. It was undertaken to assess existing food safety policy documents in Nigeria, identify gaps, make recommendations, and proffer solutions.

Keywords: food safety, policy, foodborne diseases, gaps, Nigeria

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/110-07

Publication date:June 30^th 2021