By Yusuf Kazeem Kolawole
Economist and Public Affairs Analyst, Lagos
08062653370
Nigeria’s food security challenge is no longer simply a question of whether citizens have enough food to eat. Increasingly, the more important question is whether the food available to Nigerians is safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption.
At a time when households are struggling with the rising cost of living, food affordability has understandably become a major national concern.
However, affordability must not be allowed to overshadow food safety. A cheap meal that exposes consumers to dangerous substances, adulterated ingredients or contaminated products can ultimately impose a much greater cost on families and the healthcare system.
The growing public concern over kidney-related illnesses, cancers and other chronic diseases deserves serious attention. It would, however, be scientifically irresponsible to attribute these diseases generally to food adulteration without credible epidemiological evidence. Many factors can contribute to kidney disease and cancer, including genetics, infections, lifestyle, environmental exposure and certain occupational or chemical hazards.
Nevertheless, the possibility that unsafe, contaminated or adulterated food may contribute to some health problems is sufficient reason for stronger surveillance and enforcement.This is where Nigeria must move from reaction to prevention.
The Silent Danger in the Food ChainFood fraud and adulteration can occur at different points in the food chain—from production and processing to transportation, storage, distribution and retailing. Counterfeit or substandard food products can put consumers at risk while undermining legitimate businesses.
The danger becomes greater when consumers cannot easily distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products.
A consumer buying cooking oil, beverages, spices, packaged foods, agricultural chemicals or other consumables should not have to become a laboratory scientist before determining whether the product is genuine.
Government regulators, manufacturers, distributors, market associations and consumers all have roles to play.
Unfortunately, one of Nigeria’s biggest problems is the culture of silence.People may notice suspicious practices but refuse to report them. Workers may know that certain products are being manipulated but remain silent because they fear losing their jobs. Traders may suspect counterfeit goods but look the other way because of profit. Consumers may experience adverse reactions but fail to report the products involved.
Silence allows bad practices to flourish.
We Need Food-Counterfeit Whistleblowers
Nigeria should develop a dedicated and credible Food Counterfeit Whistleblower System that makes it safe and rewarding for citizens and insiders to report suspicious food products and practices.
Such a system should not encourage malicious accusations. Rather, it should establish a structured mechanism through which credible information can be submitted, investigated and independently verified.
A modern whistleblower framework could include confidential digital reporting channels, telephone hotlines, photographic and video evidence submission, product-batch identification and anonymous tracking of complaints.
Most importantly, genuine whistleblowers should receive adequate legal protection against retaliation.
Where information supplied by a whistleblower leads to the discovery and successful prosecution of a serious food-safety offence, there should be appropriate incentives, subject to clear legal safeguards. This can encourage workers, consumers, transporters, retailers and other participants in the food chain to become the eyes and ears of the regulatory system.
The objective should not merely be to punish offenders after damage has occurred. It should be to detect risks before they reach millions of consumers.
Technology Can Change the Game Nigeria should also embrace technology in the fight against food counterfeiting.
Consumers could be provided with simple verification mechanisms such as QR codes, secure product identification numbers and digital platforms through which the authenticity of regulated products can be checked.
Regulators can combine market surveillance with data analytics to identify unusual patterns, repeat offenders and geographical concentrations of counterfeit products.
Manufacturers, on their part, should strengthen traceability from the factory to the final consumer. A product should be traceable through its batch number, production date, distributor and authorised sales channels.
Technology alone, however, cannot solve the problem. It must be supported by effective inspection, laboratory testing, prosecution and enforcement.
Strengthening the Regulatory System Nigeria already has institutions responsible for protecting consumers and regulating food and related products. What is required is stronger coordination, adequate funding, modern laboratories, better manpower and more effective enforcement.
Regulatory agencies must also be sufficiently independent and transparent to resist political, commercial and other pressures.
There should be regular publication of verified information concerning recalled products, counterfeit products, unsafe batches and companies sanctioned for serious violations. Such information must be based on proper investigation to avoid damaging legitimate businesses through unverified allegations.
Markets should not become safe havens for counterfeiters.
Manufacturers and distributors found deliberately producing or circulating dangerous food products should face penalties proportionate to the offence. At the same time, legitimate businesses should be protected from counterfeiters who imitate their brands and damage their reputation.
Consumers Must Speak Up
The responsibility does not belong to government alone.
Nigerians must become more conscious consumers.
When a product looks suspicious, has unusual packaging, an unexplained change in taste or smell, a questionable expiry date, or appears to be illegally repackaged, consumers should not simply ignore it.
They should report it through appropriate regulatory channels.
Parents, teachers, health professionals, community leaders, religious organisations, journalists and civil society groups can help create a culture in which food safety is treated as a public-interest issue.
The media also has an important role. Investigative journalism can expose systemic weaknesses, but reports must be properly verified. Sensational claims that link particular foods directly to cancer, kidney disease or other illnesses without scientific evidence can create unnecessary fear and undermine public trust.
Food Security Must Include Food Safety,Nigeria cannot claim to have achieved meaningful food security if citizens have access to food but cannot trust its safety.
Food security should encompass availability, affordability, accessibility, nutrition and safety.
This requires investment in agriculture, improved storage facilities, modern processing, stronger transportation networks and reduced post-harvest losses. But it also requires a food regulatory system capable of protecting consumers from deliberate adulteration and counterfeiting.
The country must therefore build a partnership among farmers, processors, manufacturers, transporters, retailers, regulators, health professionals, researchers, journalists and consumers.
Every Nigerian has a stake in this.
A farmer wants safe inputs and a reliable market. A manufacturer wants protection from counterfeiters. A trader wants legitimate competition. A parent wants safe food for the family. A healthcare professional wants to reduce preventable illness. Government wants a healthier and more productive population.
These interests converge around one simple principle: the food Nigerians consume must not become a hidden threat to their lives.A National Call to Action Nigeria should consider establishing a comprehensive national strategy against food fraud and adulteration, with special emphasis on whistleblower protection, rapid laboratory testing, consumer education, digital product verification and stronger enforcement.
The strategy should also encourage states and local governments to participate in food-safety surveillance rather than leaving the responsibility entirely to federal institutions.
Most importantly, Nigerians must overcome the culture of silence.
Speaking up about dangerous food is not an act of hostility against a business or an individual. When done responsibly and through proper channels, it is an act of public service.
The future of Nigeria’s food system cannot be secured by government declarations alone. It will require citizens who are willing to ask questions, businesses willing to maintain standards, regulators willing to enforce the law and institutions willing to protect those who expose wrongdoing.
Nigeria has the agricultural resources, human capital and entrepreneurial capacity to build a stronger food system. What is required now is the political will, institutional coordination and collective responsibility to make food safety an essential pillar of national development.
Securing Nigeria’s food future is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a task before every Nigerian.
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