The Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Dr. (Mrs.) Lola Akande has reiterated the need to educate members of the public on issues bordering on consumer rights and food safety, calling on the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) to be more deliberate in intensifying its advocacy on safe food handling and consumption.

Speaking at the Second Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition organised by LASCOPA recently, Akande attributed unsafe food practices among most food processors and consumers to genuine ignorance and a lack of relevant information that can guide their actions and reactions.

Represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya, FCA, the Commissioner called on food handlers and processors to prioritise the health of the consuming public above the drive to make profits.

She described the deliberations on “Safe Food, Better Health” at the event as very timely, considering the need to be proactive and the importance of taking decisive steps to forestall the outbreak of any likely food-borne related diseases.

While noting that only healthy citizens can continue to contribute to the economic prosperity of Lagos State, the Commissioner said that the State Government will continue to take the health of its citizens as a top priority so that the Lagos economy can continue to grow in size.

In his remark, the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo said that the Food Safety Conference and Exhibition is an annual event organised by the agency to draw attention to and mobilise actions to prevent, detect and manage food-borne risks and improve human health.

According to him, of all the mandates of LASCOPA, ensuring Food Safety, otherwise known as Food Hygiene is considered very important and taken with uttermost tenacity considering the ripple effects that unhealthy and unwholesome food items can cause on the human body. This, according to him, could sometimes lead to death and in some other instances could bring about life-threatening ailments.

He said the theme for this year’s Food Safety Conference & Exhibition: “Safer Food, Better Health”, places greater responsibility on stakeholders toward ensuring that only safe food is made available for consumer purchase and consumption.

The Guest Speaker at the event, Prof. (Mrs.) Folake Olayinka Henshaw, a Professor of Food Technology, averred that food safety begins from the food production stage which makes it imperative for members of the public to be adequately informed through awareness programmes by relevant government agencies.

She advocated the prevention and management of food safety appropriately in order to reduce the risk of exposure to unsafe food items as against responding to incidents and havoc caused by unsafe food.

The Guest Lecturer maintained that food-borne diseases are preventable through proper handling, insisting that members of the public must always know that “if it is not safe, it is not food”.

Henshaw applauded the Lagos State Government for being a trailblazer in putting food safety as her top priority. She, however, urged the government to lay more emphasis on investment along the food value chain and encourage the proper packaging of food safe enough for the international market.

She also spoke on the need to certify street food vendors, stating that leaving them to operate without being regulated might not be ideal, however, certifying them would be a way to regulate them.