Prof Folake Henshaw of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has
called on the Federal Government to create a framework and structure to ensure
street food vendors operate effectively.
Henshaw who is a professor of Food Technology
Department of Food Science and Human Ecology, made the appeal on Tuesday
in Lagos during the 43rd Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology
(NIFST) Day, Lagos chapter.
According to her, food consumption is very important as
people eat to live and become healthy, unfortunately street food vendors which
majority of people get food from, do not perform wholesome food.
She added that this had resulted to food professionals
creating awareness to curtail such operations saying that not curtailing such
would lead to harzards.
She also called for a multi-stakeholder approach to
help to address the problem associated with eating unwholesome street food from
vendors.
The event which had as theme: Food Safety Enlightenment
- Strategies for Safe and Wholesome Street Foods, according to Henshaw, was
very topical due to the fact that in the future of food safety as regards world
globalization, the food chain was becoming more complex, as the food we often
eat, are not necessarily produced within.
"The street food vendors are largely unregulated
sector of food supply chain in the country. NIFST as a professional body wants to highlight the hazards associated with eating unhealthy street food
especially when there are other social economic factors that can prevent and
make the sector better.
"Street food vendors serves as a form of employment
generation, poverty alleviation for people as they can get their source of
livelihood just by making small local food, snacks and others. We must
have to do something to curb the trends and the prevalence of foodborne
diseases, and this is by ensuring that street foods consumed by people are done
in a hygienic way,'' she said.
NIFST, she said, is making a case for an increased
investment in ensuring through governments partnership with professional
bodies, with private partners with NGOs, and all stakeholders that the knowledge
was passed to the public.
She urged government on the wherewithal in terms of
investing in agencies, sponsoring programme that would educate the public on
the issue. Adding that there is the need to create awareness, to enlighten and
educate people with the knowledge that would help them prevent food
contamination; that when people are knowledgeable about safety, it would drive
changed in practices, change the attitudes and changes in their behavior on how
they handle their food.
“NIFST is the major professional body, which has the
trust and the repository of expertise to lead the nation towards maintaining
and assuring the safety of food supplies. So, today's topic is the gap
that has been identified and as a sector that is largely unregulated, we need
to do something urgently to ensure the safety of street foods.
Henshaw said that due to the relevance of having
secured food from street vendors, this year alone had witnessed two major event
concerning global food safety, from the United Nations Agencies and the
World Health Organization in conjunction with the African Union in Addis Ababa.
She said that these conferences were created to ensure
food safety awareness and the need to drive actions to ensure food safety.
The university don said that food safety was everyone's
business and so all hands must be on ground to ensure that what people consumed
was hygienically.
The Chairman of NIFST Lagos chapter, Mr Sunday Bamgbose
said that today's event was an opportunity to enhance people's knowledge on
latest development in food safety not only as professionals in the field but
also as consumers.
According to him, there is the need for all
stakeholders to work together to ensure safe food for healthy future for
ourselves and our nation's.
He added that the theme was in line with the project on
street food safety started by Lagos chapter of NIFST, adopted by the national
and which had caught the attention of many other organisations both local and
international.
A Nutritional Biochemist, Prof. Gloria Elemo, on
Tuesday in Lagos said that the Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology
(NIFST) having its status would ensure they exert authority on food safety.
Elemo, the immediate past executive director of the
Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshod made the ascertion at the 43rd
Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) Day, Lagos chapter.
According to her, there is need for government to
hasten its stand on the bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Council of
Food Science and Technology (NCFST) for NIFST.
She said that the status was apt as it would give them
the needed power to address the current prevailing issues that had to do with
food safety in the country.
``The theme is well captured as against the backdrop of
what is prevailing out in the society. What happens in the street is an
outright disregard to food safety and this practice either we accept it or not
should not arise because it will cause many havoc to people,'' she said.
Elemo said that the increase in urban population posed
a serious challenge to food system, adding that food legislation, regulations
are constantly thriving for change.
She pointed out that the high risk associated with
street food towards the young and elderly showed that more light should be
thrown to establish areas that should be tackled to safeguard people's lives.
She tasked NIFST to ensure that this project was
handled successfully as it was worthwhile, also urging them to partner with the
Lagos State government to make it a strategic plan for them.
"Lagos state is too strategic to be having unsafe
food,'' she said.
Also, Mrs. Yetunde Akinlabi of the Standard
Organisation of Nigeria (SON) said that the organisation and NIFST would work
together to ensure that street food are wholesome."
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