2023 WFSD: Oyo Govt Charges Food Vendors, Stakeholders On Safety, Cleanliness
By Admin
Oyo State government has on Wednesday charged various food stakeholders to ensure a concerted effort of keeping food safe for all and sundry is achieve at all cost.
Naijanewshub.com.ng reports that the state government also stressed the importance of food safety at a day event marking this year World Food Safety Day with the theme, “Food Standards, Saves Lives.
In her welcome address at the House of Chiefs Agodi Secretariat the venue of the event, the Director of Food, Water and Laboratory Service, of the State Ministry of Health, Alhaja Fausat Akande said that despite that unsafe food is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, it has not received the political attention it desires.
She said that the state government used the program to create awareness among the food stakeholders noting that food does not only fight hunger but also critical for achieving the sustainable development.
She urged the stakeholders at the event to see food safety as a critical issue and embrace good practices to keep hazards and contaminants out of foods at the lowest possible levels.
She said, this program is one of the efforts of the state government to ensure standing living through consumption of safe foods, we are here today to discuss the benefits of safe foods in human lives.
“This Program organized in commemoration of World Food Safety day was themed ” Food Standards, Saves Lives”. She said.
In his remark, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusoji Adeyanju, represented by Dr. Wole Lawal, maintained that food safety is a collective responsibility across multiple sectors, both private and public.
He said, “Based on One Health approach, stakeholders from different sectors must partner, collaborate and closely work together to ensure safe food and nutritious food for all citizens all the time in other to achieve better public health outcomes.”
The guest lecture of the event, Prof. Gabriel Adegoke of Dominion University Ibadan in his words charged stakeholders as well as the policy makers at the event to always carry out inspection of food premises using innovative means.
He said consumers must be protected from illness caused by food and ensure the establishment and funding of agencies for food safety and security.
The Representatives of food vendors, Health Organizations present at the event also called for a collective responsibility across multiple sectors, both private and public, charging them to work together to ensure safe food and nutritious food for all citizens at all time.