: ASSOCIATION OF FOOD VENDORS IN NIGERIA PARTNERS FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH—AS 200,000 DIE FROM FOOD POISONS...


At the instance of invitation of Association of Food Vendors in Nigeria by the Federal Ministry of Health, on the development of food safety structures and practices in Nigeria. The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu ably represented by the Director, Food and Drug services Dr. Denise Onyeaguocha emphasized that “ensuring safe food and water is a preventive therapy that will reduce expenses on curative medicine. As the ministry gears towards the implementation of food safety policy targeted at food vendors nationwide, Association of Food Vendors in Nigeria as an NGO will facilitate the policy to its desired goal”. He decried the enormous challenges as he acknowledged that there is a problem on food safety in Nigeria as compared to countries like Ghana which has gone far in food safety policy. He urged food vendors to desist from using dangerous substances in; quicken the ripening of fruits, adulteration of cooking oils, preservation of meat, fishes, grains and other unwholesome practices in catering activities. He outlined attitudinal change and funding as panacea for tackling the menace. Further, Minister assured the support and maximum cooperation of the Ministry to AFVIN”.In response, the National President of AFVIN, Barr. Alex Ufomadu thanked the Minister for his transforming strides in the country’s health sector which is in line with the agenda of Mr. President. He said that the problem of food safety and hygiene occur through the entire food supply chain. As he enumerated food poisons and incessant outbreaks, reduced life- expectancy and increasing technical barriers on food exports as glaring impediments to tourism, national economy and development. He assured that the organization will intensify her efforts especially in training and sensitization of food vendors and the general public against potential food hazards and unwholesome practices to the ward level, according to her work plan. While he appealed to the health Commissioners and council Chairmen to support the program. Similarly, a food scientist and University Don and Food Scientist, Prof. Alfred Ihekoronye decried the level of food safety standard and practices in the country as about 200,000 deaths is recorded annually mostly due to improper processing and contamination. He urged the National Assembly to support the legislation to establish an agro processing and food safety agency that will; address the multidiscipline nature of safer food, add value to our farm produce to reduce massive foreign exchange outflow and create jobs similar to the petroleum industry.
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CHOLERA OUTBREAK: Lagos bars African salad……

As cholera outbreak continues to ravage residents of Lagos State, the authorities have banned the consumption of abacha, otherwise known as african salad, to forestall the spread of the disease. The Government warned residents to maintain high standard of personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic which has been detected in the state, urging them to keep away from food such as the african food salad popularly called ‘abacha’. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Aderemi Ibirogha disclosed this yesterday while listing measures to be taken to reduce the risk of contracting the disease as including washing of hands with soap and water frequently, boiling of water before drinking if the source is in doubts, washing of fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating, disposing of waste material properly and keeping of water containers clean.
Ibirogba said “our surveillance activities and investigations revealed that the suspected cases of cholera in Lagos were contracted from food sources such as the african food salad popularly called abacha, well-water sources and other infected foods from food sellers, and other unhgienic habits. This is the reason why we are advising the public to keep away from the african food salad, popularly called abacha and boil water before drinking if not sure of the source of the water. He urged members of the public to ensure proper disposal of waste, and ensure they avoid possible backflow connection between water and sewer system, adding that people should wash hands thoroughly if and when they have been in contact with a cholera patient or touch any item or surface that may have been contaminated.
“Cholera is acquired through the ingestion of an infective dose of contaminated food or water, and can be transmitted through many mechanisms like direct or indirect contamination of water or food by faeces of infected individuals. The disease should be suspected in any person who develops diarrhoea with or without vomiting, weakness, excessive loss of body fluids, dehydration, restlessness, irritability, or person who dies from frequent stooling”, he explained.
The Commissioner posited that the need to ensure high standard of hygiene at all times cannot be overemphasized, especially following the reported cases of the disease in Lagos, stressing that observing adequate hygiene is part of the measures that can help curtail the spread and prevent the diseases from being an epidemic. He posited that the huge population of Lagos has made it very important to enlighten the public on the measures to be taken to prevent the spread of disease, adding that this is the reason why the state government has stepped up its effort in sensitizing the public on ways to curb the spread, stressing also that the need for members of the public to be vigilant cannot be overemphasized. Ibirogba noted that government has already evolved an inter ministerial collaboration involving the ministries of Health, Environment and Information, Lagos State Waste Mnagement Authority and Lagos State water corporation, adding that health and environmental statue of prone communities is on going.
Cholera outbreak has recently been reported in about 20 states of the country.

ASSOCIATION OF FOOD VENDORS IN NIGERIA (AFVN) in 2011 had assisted the National Assembly in a Motion presented in the Senate on incessant cholera epidemic.

Published in Nigerian Pilot newspaper, Friday October 25, 2013.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/fao-provides-495m-national-food-safety-policy/-

FAO provides $495m for national food safety policy

Posted by: Frank Ikpefan

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has provided $495 million to support the implementation of the National Food Safety policy.

Its Representative in Nigeria, Ms Louise Setshwaelo who spoke on Strengthening Nigeria National Food Control System and Safety at a workshop in Abuja said the aim was to reduce incidences of food borne illnesses and strengthen consumer confidence and greater contribution of food trade to economic development.

She said: “It is within this framework that FAO and the government have decided to support the implementation of the National Food Policy on Food Safety.

“Through the project being launched today, a total of $495 million has been provided by FAO to support the efforts of government.”

She said the national food control system was an area where improvement was needed to ensure the safety of food throughout the value chain.

Ms Setshwaelo underscored the need for an updated regulatory framework in place to facilitate enforcement of food safety, hygiene and quality standards.

She said FAO had been working with relevant institutions to improve on food quality as a means to improve public health and promote economic development.

Mrs Setshwaelo said food security was at the centre of FAO’s mandate, adding that access to adequate safe and nutritious food was a fundamental human right.

The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, said there was no other greater frontier to enforce food safety than a patriotic commitment and will of both leaders and followers.

He said it was wrong to blame the government at the centre when things go wrong, noting that it was a collective responsibility to make the nation great.

Awute said though food safety was an international phenomena, the ministry was taking it as a matter of public health.

Awute recalled that in 2007, a total of 90,000 cases of food poisoning was recorded across 56 tertiary health institutions about 200,000 cases of dyrgorr.

He said: “Food control system is therefore necessary to protect consumer.”

NOTICE TO ALL FOOD VENDORS IN NIGERIA.

THE NATIONAL OFFICE IS GLAD TO INFORM YOU OF THE FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FOOD BUSINESS-

1. That His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a National policy on food safety and its implementation strategy.
2. That two standing committee has been inaugurated namely-; Inter-Ministerial Food Safety Committee (IMFSC) and National Food Safety Management Committee (NFSMC) for the effective implementation of food safety policy in earnest.
3. That Association of Food Vendors is member of the NFSMC.
4. That Food vendors commend Mr President , The Honourable Minister for Health and other stakeholders on this laudable effort to modernize Nigeria food safety system for increased food trade and prevention of food borne illnesses.
5. In line with the national policy, every food vendor and handler is expected to be train on food safety and hygiene according to global best practices & principles.
6. Food vendors are advised to identify with Association of Food Vendors’ staff in your locality or visit our state office.


National office-
2nd floor Christy house, 2b Herbert Macauley way,
Wuse market bus stop, zone 5 FCT Abuja.
www.foodsafetynigeria.com
email- foodsafetyservice_nig@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Association of food vendors in Nigeria
www.nairaland.com/FoodVendor
08035998103, 08098254089, 08099484229


sign
Alex Ufomadu
National President, AFVN.

mobilization and sensitization of food vendors/handlers on safe food practices is ongoing nationwide. be part of the campaign.

Www.mynewswatchtimesng.com/editorial


Arresting cholera catastrophe ravaging states

.Report of deaths from preventable cholera epidemics in the past few days in many states is a tragic indication that politicians in all the three tiers of government are yet to tackle real issues that threaten the survival of the electorate they now pretend to serve their interests in the ongoing electioneering.Eight persons were killed in Ebonyi, 30 in oil-rich Bayelsa, 20 in oil-rich Rivers state, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi spent N1.6 billion to fight a phantom, nonexistent Ebola virus recently. The casualty in the northern states where drinkable water is hardly available is worse, especially in emergency camps hosting internally displaced persons from terrorist attacks and ethnic, religious communal perennial fights.River State commissioner for health Dr Sampson Parker, in a medicine after death assurance, said boreholes would be sunk to check further spread of the disease as well as gastroenteritis both caused by poor hygiene, insanitary environment and lack of healthy drinkable water in a state that collects huge billions of naira from the Federation Account.We had reiterated our concern that preventable diseases were not addressed nationwide the way Ebola virus was attacked, though it is now glaring that the media and government frenzy over Ebola was largely to divert public funds into private pocket, not necessarily out of genuine public concern.We had remarked recently that cholera epidemic killing several persons in the camps of displaced Boko Haram victims and in several other states showed governments were yet to rise to the challenge of the monster of cholera. Hundreds of people have been killed in most northern states in the past two years, confirming that states and local governments are still slack in taking serious remedial actions.Cholera kills within 24 hours if the frequent stooling and severe vomiting remained unchecked and lost fluid replaced. The diarrhoea and vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and body fluid imbalance, and death. The causality might be higher, especially in the northern parts, where religious injunction approved burial of the dead within hours, giving no room for official capture of victims.Cholera, according to medics, is an infection of the small intestine caused by the bacterium known as Vibrio cholerae. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating uncooked food and fruits contaminated by the faeces of an infected person.In developed countries, due to nearly universal advanced water treatment and sanitation practices, cholera is no longer a major health threat. The last major outbreak of cholera in the United States, for instance, occurred in 1910–1911.What is instructive – considering the experiences of more advanced economies – is that effective sanitation practices, if instituted and adhered to in time, are usually sufficient to stop an epidemic.However, in Nigeria, our personal hygiene is largely shambolic, with veritable ground for cholera germs to infiltrate and kill. Right now the disease is spreading for obvious reasons – filthy environment, poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water. It is worse where underground water table is high and exposed to contamination, especially with shallow wells.We therefore urge that states and local governments to introduce sanitary inspectors to police and enforce minimum acceptable hygiene in the neighbourhoods. Where sanitary inspectors exist but poorly funded, governments should revive them to ensure that foods meant for public consumption are well prepared under hygienic conditions and are not exposed to contaminants.To check the spread, there must be intensive and extensive public enlightenment campaigns in the media on the need for proper hygiene, frequent washing of hands after toileting, proper cooking of foods or treating uncooked fresh fruits with disinfectants to eliminate cholera bacteria.The sound legacy of the late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, who as Minister of Health, had championed Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) in the late 80s to deal with the scourge of cholera then should be replicated and backed with media public enlightenment campaign on its preparation to arrest fatalities.The ORT simple salt-water-sugar solution to check dehydration, which provokes instant death in cholera victims, helped to check cholera fatalities then. Radio, television and newspapers were mobilized to educate the public on how to mix properly the ORT solution under Ransome-Kuti’s Primary Health Care (PHC), which was used to check disease spread at the grassroots level.There is need for the ORT and PHC to be revived by all the states and local governments, which are closer to the largely illiterate rural communities lacking basic health facilities. Much as we urge government to provide drinkable water and regulate food vendors, the citizens too should learn not to depend on government. Rather, they should take their individual wellbeing as a priority, by making cleanliness next to Godliness.

WHO Uses World Health Day to Shine Light on Food Safety

BY LYDIA ZURAW |
 APRIL 7, 2015Food safety is so important to everyone around the world that the World Health Organization (WHO) dedicated this year’s World Health Day — celebrated each year on April 7 — to spreading awareness of it.As readers of Food Safety News know, food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can lead to long-lasting disability and death.Foodborne and waterborne diarrheal diseases kill an estimated 2 million people annually, including many children and particularly in developing countries.WHO says that World Health Day 2015 is a chance to recognize the food safety role of all those involved in food production and to strengthen collaboration and coordination among these areas in order to prevent, detect and respond to foodborne diseases efficiently.The actual levels of foodborne diseases are estimated to be much higher than what gets reported, underlying the need for improved collaboration to lower risks.According to WHO, food safety is distinct from, but a prerequisite for, food security.“Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade,” WHO says. “Food supply chains now cross multiple national borders.”Particularly challenging for maintaining food safety is that food producers are turning to intensified and industrialized systems to meet the increasing demand for food from a growing population. Climate change is also predicted to impact food safety where temperature changes modify food safety risks associated with food production, storage and distribution.WHO is using World Health Day to call on policymakers around the world to build and maintain adequate food safety systems and infrastructures, respond to and manage food safety risks along the entire food chain, integrate food safety into broader food policies and programs, and foster communication, information sharing, and joint action between public health, animal health, agriculture and other sectors.Consumers are advised to practice WHO’s Five Keys to Safer Food when handling and preparing food: keep clean, separate raw and cooked food, cook thoroughly, cook food at safe temperatures, and use safe water and raw materials.To help in spreading food safety awareness, WHO developed graphics, videos and fact sheets. Association of Food Vendors in Nigeria (AFVN) joined in the celebration through sensitization at food markets and road show rallies. There are also educational events being held around the world to celebrate World Health Day.

200,000 people die of food poison annually in Nigeria – Prof. Ihenkuronye

Premiumtimesng.com

Food stalls often lack the necessary storage,
refrigeration and cooking facilities to prevent
contamination by bacteria. Limited access to
clean water and waste disposal increases the risk
of contamination being passed on to customers

NOTICE TO ALL NGO'S UNDER FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH

As a NGO with the Federal Ministry of Health, we would like to bring to your attention that as a result of the low awareness levels of the health impacts of producing and selling unwholesome foods, small-scale producers lack the incentive to change their practices.
The food safety issues of most concern are:
•Presence of Aflatoxins in Legumes and Nuts produced locally: Aflatoxins are the toxins produced by Aspergillus flavus, a mould that is commonly found in improperly dried peanuts and corn. Since aflatoxins are very resistant to high heat and not easily removed or destroyed, and the long-term carcinogenic potential of low-level aflatoxin ingestion is still unknown, the only practical course of action is to ensure the prevention of mold contamination and growth throughout the entire chain of harvesting, drying, storage and processing. Therefore, we feel it is important for the people to know about the danger.
•Meat/Fish handling in local markets: Meat and other foods of animal origin are one of the most important food products that cause food poisoning with diarrhoea as its most common symptom. Knowing that 3.15% of all deaths globally are caused by diarrhoea and on an annual basis, diarrheal diseases in developing countries result in approximately 10 million deaths with about one-third of these fatalities occurring in children under the age of five years, reducing the incidence of food poisoning is of paramount importance.
Consequently, we suggest some helpful tips to be used in informing the general public especially the small scale producers on the harmful health impacts of poor food production and handling techniques.
a. Developing radio/TV programmes;
b. Production of videos and articles (i.e. newspaper/magazine articles, flyers, posters etc.) to disseminate the dangers and causes of food contamination.
As a result of the ongoing deliberation on the National Policy on Food Safety, we would appreciate if you would help on these issues as a base for the National Policy.

Please note that we would like to see your drafts before it is made public by this means.

Thank you,
Food Safety Team.

Good day.

please, where can i find a food chemical analysis lab in nigeria? i am an entrepreneur about to enter into the food manufacturing business, and before i begin mass production, i want to have my product tested for toxins or poisons. i have been looking for a lab, but the only one i found is so expensive that it will require 200% of my capital to pay.

i am reasonably certain that my product is good, but i want to test it so as to reach international standards.

please help.

kerfan:
Good day.

please, where can i find a food chemical analysis lab in nigeria? i am an entrepreneur about to enter into the food manufacturing business, and before i begin mass production, i want to have my product tested for toxins or poisons. i have been looking for a lab, but the only one i found is so expensive that it will require 200% of my capital to pay.

i am reasonably certain that my product is good, but i want to test it so as to reach international standards.

please help.

Dear,
Private standard laboratory for food analysis are very few and expensive. You can approach NAFDAC @Oshodi or SON Lagos to access their lab services. May be cheaper.

Common crimes; #carbide to hasten fruits ripening (banana, orange, plantain, mango, pineaple etc). #mixing red oil with dye. #washing edibles with detergents (orange, egg, tomatoes, carrots, garden egg, water melon etc.) #roasting animals with tyre. #formalin in preserving frozen fish & poultry. #insecticde in preserving dried fish & meat. #chemicalsinourfood

FoodVendors:
NOTICE TO ALL NGO'S UNDER FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH

As a NGO with the Federal Ministry of Health, we would like to bring to your attention that as a result of the low awareness levels of the health impacts of producing and selling unwholesome foods, small-scale producers lack the incentive to change their practices.
The food safety issues of most concern are:
•Presence of Aflatoxins in Legumes and Nuts produced locally: Aflatoxins are the toxins produced by Aspergillus flavus, a mould that is commonly found in improperly dried peanuts and corn. Since aflatoxins are very resistant to high heat and not easily removed or destroyed, and the long-term carcinogenic potential of low-level aflatoxin ingestion is still unknown, the only practical course of action is to ensure the prevention of mold contamination and growth throughout the entire chain of harvesting, drying, storage and processing. Therefore, we feel it is important for the people to know about the danger.
•Meat/Fish handling in local markets: Meat and other foods of animal origin are one of the most important food products that cause food poisoning with diarrhoea as its most common symptom. Knowing that 3.15% of all deaths globally are caused by diarrhoea and on an annual basis, diarrheal diseases in developing countries result in approximately 10 million deaths with about one-third of these fatalities occurring in children under the age of five years, reducing the incidence of food poisoning is of paramount importance.
Consequently, we suggest some helpful tips to be used in informing the general public especially the small scale producers on the harmful health impacts of poor food production and handling techniques.
a. Developing radio/TV programmes;
b. Production of videos and articles (i.e. newspaper/magazine articles, flyers, posters etc.) to disseminate the dangers and causes of food contamination.
As a result of the ongoing deliberation on the National Policy on Food Safety, we would appreciate if you would help on these issues as a base for the National Policy.

Please note that we would like to see your drafts before it is made public by this means.

Thank you,
Food Safety Team.