REGULATIONS ALONE CAN’T GUARANTEE FOOD SAFETY — LASCOPA GM CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Read Time:4 Minute, 46 Second
By ‘Sefiu Ajape
The General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), Afolabi Solebo, has said regulations and enforcement alone cannot guarantee food safety, calling for collective responsibility among all players in the food value chain.
Solebo made the call on Tuesday at the fourth Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition organised by LASCOPA at NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The conference, themed “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere,” brought together regulators, food producers, processors, distributors, retailers, professionals, academics, consumer groups and other stakeholders to examine food-safety challenges and develop practical solutions.
In his welcome address, Solebo described food safety as more than a regulatory requirement, saying it was a matter of “public health, economic stability and moral duty.”
He said unsafe food undermines public health, erodes consumer confidence, damages legitimate businesses and places additional pressure on the healthcare system.
According to him, the conference was designed to examine the entire food spectrum, from agricultural practices and processing to packaging, storage, transportation and retail, while addressing challenges including adulteration, counterfeit food products, poor hygiene and foodborne illnesses.
Solebo said the priority should be to move beyond identifying food-safety problems to developing “practical, measurable and sustainable solutions.”
He stressed that achieving safe food everywhere could not be left to regulatory agencies alone, noting that every participant in the food chain had a role to play.
“However, regulations and enforcement alone cannot guarantee food safety. Rules on paper can only achieve their purpose when every player in the food chain takes responsibility from the farmer and processor to the transporter, retailer and, ultimately, the consumer,” he said.
Solebo disclosed that LASCOPA had strengthened its enforcement mechanisms while expanding consumer education and public enlightenment campaigns aimed at improving awareness and protecting consumers.
He also highlighted the agency’s collaboration with relevant institutions, including the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
The LASCOPA boss reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring that consumers in Lagos State have access to food that is “safe, wholesome and accurately labelled.”
“The people of Lagos State have a right to safe food, and LASCOPA will continue to protect that right without fear or favour,” Solebo said.
His position was reinforced by other speakers at the conference, who also called for stronger enforcement, responsible business practices and greater vigilance among consumers.
Delivering the keynote address, Global Director, Quality and Food Safety, ADM, USA, Dr. Adeniyi A. Odugbemi, declared that food safety could not be treated as the responsibility of one institution.
“If it is not safe, it is not food, then if it is not food, it is not consumable,” Odugbemi said, stressing the need for collaboration among government, industry, academia and consumers.
He identified food security, food sustainability and food safety as major challenges confronting the food supply chain, while calling for stronger enforcement against food fraud and adulteration.
In an interview with Hotjist, Odugbemi stressed that enforcement must be backed by consequences for offenders.
“Enforcement! Enforcement!!” he said, arguing that Nigeria already had laws and regulations but needed stronger implementation to deter those who compromise food safety.
He also urged consumers to prioritise safety over price, warning that income should not determine access to safe food.
“The amount of money in your pocket should not determine how long you live,” he said.
Similarly, the Coordinator of the Southwest Zonal Office of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Dr. Olubunmi Otti, who represented the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tunji Bello, said no single institution could achieve food safety alone.
Otti said regulators, businesses, consumers, the media and civil society all had distinct responsibilities in building a safer food system, stressing that regulation must be firm, fair, transparent and consistent.
She warned that businesses that deliberately compromise safety, mislead consumers or violate the law should face regulatory action.
“Businesses that deliberately cut corners, mislead consumers, compromise safety, or violate the law should expect appropriate regulatory action and the full weight of the law,” she said.
Food and Cosmetics Consultant, Dr. Nurah T. Oseni, also drew attention to the challenge of palm oil adulteration, warning consumers against relying on misinformation circulating online about the use of water to detect adulterated palm oil.
Speaking on “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” Oseni said consumers could not conclusively determine adulteration through physical observation or a simple water test.
“You cannot physically know an adulterated oil. You also cannot use water test to know an adulterated oil,” she said in an interview with Hotjist.
Oseni called for stronger surveillance, laboratory testing and traceability within the palm-oil market, stressing that consumers should avoid unlabelled and untraceable products.
“Without traceability, we cannot curb adulteration,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Association of Professional Food Service Providers in Nigeria (APFSPN), represented by its Welfare Director, Mrs. Bolanle Atanda, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to responsible sourcing, hygiene, regulatory compliance, traceability and continuous capacity development among food-service professionals.
Representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mr. Tunde Onigbanjo, Mr. Asiribo Rasaq commended LASCOPA for its activities and positive impact on food safety and consumer protection in Lagos State.
The conference featured testimonials, food-safety riddles, poetry recitation, cultural displays, a panel session and a tour of exhibition stands.
The stakeholders ultimately emphasised that achieving “Safe Food Everywhere” would require more than regulations, with collective responsibility, effective enforcement, responsible business practices and informed consumer choices needed to protect public health.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0