FAO, Stakeholders Recommit To CODEX for Food Safety in Nigeria
By Ene Okwanihe, Abuja
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and stakeholders in the food and trade sector in Nigeria have restated commitments to ensuring Nigeria continues to follow international food safety standards.
The stakeholders made the commitment at a one-day sensitization workshop for high level policy and decision makers and the public presentation of National Codex Committee (NCC) Procedural Manual in Abuja Nigeria’s capital organized by the FAO in collaboration with National Codex Committee (NCC).
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental organization established by the joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations with the responsibility of developing international food and agricultural produce standards and Nigeria is a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission standards ensure Food safety, Consumer protection and Fair practices in international food trade.
In his goodwill message at the workshop, the FAO Representative to Nigeria and the ECOWAS Fred Kafero said there is a need for the world to work together to ensure food safety.
“There is need for the world to come together to create food safety and quality standards to protect everyone everywhere.”
Mr. Kafero gave details of FAO’s partnership with the with the Nigerian government to implement Codex to eliminate hunger and malnutrition, noting that poor quality foods do not ensure food security.
“In Nigeria, the FAO country office with support from the regional office for Africa continues to partner with the Government of Nigeria and the National Codex Committee towards creating effective and efficient policies and strategies to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the country. FAO believe that ensuring the supply of safe, quality and nutritious foods is as important as ensuring the availability of foods and food standardization “Poor quality foods do not ensure food security”
While delivering the welcome address, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Standard Organization of Nigeria, who was represented by the Chief of Staff to the Director General Professor Olobayo Kunle who reeled out the objectives of the NCC’s activities in Nigeria, said the focus is to ensure actions in favour of food safety at national level are taken.
He noted that, some of the objectives are to Create awareness on Codex activities for High Level Policy/Decision Makers from National Legislature as well Stakeholders in Food Industries, general and media, Advocate for more support (financial, legislative and human) for the national codex, Improve the technical capacities for NCC members, farmers, processors, industry, universities/research institutions and Present to the public and distribute NCC Procedural Manual as sufficiently as possible.
According to Professor Kunle, the review of the NCC Procedural Manual was necessary to keep abreast with the growth of Codex activities over time, incorporate major changes, improve and strengthen Codex structure in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, the National Codex Committee was set up in July 1973 by the Federal Executive Council to provide a platform for the activities of Codex at the National level, advising the Government on National Policy on food safety and its implementation strategy, quality and international trade in food and agricultural produce.
