Most Nigerians ignorant of food safety guidelines —NAFDAC DG

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has said many Nigerians lack adequate knowledge of food safety guidelines because they neither read nor understand available information.

Adeyeye made the remark in an interview with BusinessDay published on Monday, while explaining the responsibilities of government agencies involved in regulating the food chain.

She said several organisations were involved in food regulation “from farm to fork”, noting that NAFDAC’s mandate covers processed and semi-processed foods.

“We are ignorant in this country. We are very ignorant, we don’t read, we don’t understand,” she said.

Adeyeye also attributed part of the challenge to the country’s literacy level, saying, “We have about 56% illiteracy… if it is a literate country they would read. Sometimes, our people don’t understand.”

According to her, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has primary responsibility for fresh produce, meaning NAFDAC does not regulate fruits such as oranges sold in markets.

“So the oranges you buy in the market, we don’t control it,” she said.

However, she explained that NAFDAC plays a role when pesticides are used on crops because the agency regulates and controls pesticides.

She said NAFDAC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, trains farmers and other stakeholders on the proper use of pesticides and the appropriate period for harvesting crops after pesticide application.

Adeyeye added that NAFDAC’s veterinary and allied products directorate also provides training on pesticide use.

The NAFDAC boss, however, said the agency could not directly train every farmer in the country because of the large number of farmers.

“We cannot go to one million farmers in Nigeria, NAFDAC cannot do that, it is the ministry of agriculture that should be doing that,” she said.

She said the Ministry of Agriculture should take primary responsibility for educating farmers, while NAFDAC would continue to support the process because of its regulatory responsibility for pesticides.

“Many people don’t know,” Adeyeye said.

The NAFDAC director-general also disclosed that the agency receives more than 200 complaints from Nigerians every month through its complaint channels.

She said such complaints provide important leads for the agency’s investigations.

In September, NAFDAC disclosed that it received 225 complaints concerning suspected counterfeit products in August.