Food sustains life, but unsafe food can just as easily endanger it. This edition of Legal Matters examined the legal frameworks that regulate food safety in Nigeria, highlighting the link between consumer rights and public health.
🍲 The Importance of Food Safety
Food safety goes beyond hygiene—it is about ensuring that what consumers eat is free from harmful substances, properly labeled, and handled in line with recognized standards. In Nigeria, food safety is both a consumer rights concern and a national health priority.
⚖️ The Legal Framework
Several laws and regulatory bodies govern food safety in Nigeria, including:
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Act.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Act.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).
These laws establish guidelines on:
Proper labeling and packaging of food items.
Inspection and certification of production facilities.
Penalties for adulterated or unsafe products.
🚧 Challenges in Enforcement
Despite the laws, food safety enforcement remains a challenge:
Many Nigerians buy from informal markets, where standards are not enforced.
Poor regulation and corruption weaken compliance.
Consumers often lack awareness of their rights to safe and properly labeled food.
✅ Final Takeaway
The episode underscored that food safety is everyone’s responsibility. Regulators must enforce existing laws, businesses must comply with standards, and consumers must remain vigilant. Ultimately, knowing your rights as a consumer is a key step in protecting your health.