Review of Food Safety Policy in Nigeria


EatSafe conducted several activities to analyze existing food safety policy, regulations, and standards at the national, regional, and local levels in Nigeria. In Nigeria, recent regulatory efforts sought to prioritize food safety, revising outdated policies and clarifying roles and responsibilities between over a dozen Ministries, Departments, and Agencies at the federal level.  Drafted to harmonize federal food safety regulation efforts, the National Food Safety and Quality Bill has yet to be enacted into law – though it currently awaits a final reading by Nigeria’s 9th National Assembly. Traditional markets, where many Nigerians buy and sell food, are overseen by Local Government Area Councils, who have little expertise in food safety systems. Without federal regulations on vendor training and licensing, traditional markets pose increased food safety risks for consumers.

These programme reports were adapted into two peer-reviewed publications, one in the Journal of Law, Policy, and Globalization and the other in Advances in Nutrition and Food Science. It was also adapated into a policy brief.