NAFDAC Seeks Collaboration To Tackle Food Safety Risks

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called on Nigerians to renew their commitment to ensuring that every citizen has access to safe and wholesome food.

The Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call on Monday during the 2026 World Food Safety Day celebration in Lagos, themed “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.”

The World Food Safety Day was first observed in June 2019, marking a historic global commitment to making safe food an essential aspect of public health and sustainable development.

It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, following a joint proposal by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), to raise awareness about the importance of food safety and to promote efforts that help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks.

Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs. Eva Edwards, said the agency remains fully committed to the global campaign for safer food and stronger food safety systems.

She noted that food safety is a fundamental human right and stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, industry players and consumers to protect public health.

“Today, we join the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Food Safety Management Committee and the global community to recognize the importance of safe food, remind ourselves that safe food is an imperative and indeed a fundamental human right, as well as reaffirm our shared commitment and collective responsibility for protecting public health through stronger, more resilient food safety systems that yield safe and nutritious food,” Adeyeye said.

According to her, foodborne diseases account for more than 200 illnesses worldwide, affecting public health, livelihoods, education and national economies, despite being largely preventable through proper food handling and effective regulation.

The NAFDAC boss stressed that food safety is a shared responsibility involving every stage of the food supply chain, from farming and harvesting to processing, transportation, distribution, retail and consumption.

She described this year’s theme as a reminder that unsafe food continues to pose serious health, economic and social challenges, including food insecurity, export rejections, food waste and preventable deaths.

“The theme challenges us to focus on practical and sustainable solutions that will ensure safe food for everyone, everywhere,” she said.

Adeyeye further identified science-based regulation, public education, responsible food handling, innovation and collaboration as key measures needed to improve food safety across the country. She said strengthening food safety remains critical to protecting public health, improving nutrition, facilitating trade and boosting confidence in Nigeria’s food system.

She added that the agency would continue to strengthen regulatory oversight, surveillance, laboratory capacity, industry compliance and public awareness as food supply chains become more complex.

The NAFDAC DG also urged stakeholders across the food value chain to adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), proper storage and distribution standards, as well as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems.

According to her, NAFDAC’s role as Nigeria’s food safety regulator is to ensure that food products meet national and international safety standards while complying with established regulatory requirements. She added that achieving safe food nationwide requires strong partnerships, as regulation alone cannot guarantee food safety.

Adeyeye further highlighted progress made in shifting from reactive to preventive food safety systems through improved regulatory oversight, risk-based approaches, public awareness campaigns and stronger collaboration across sectors.

She urged Nigerians to remain vigilant by purchasing only properly labelled food products with valid NAFDAC registration numbers and traceable sources, stressing that informed consumers are essential to safeguarding food safety.