Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Abuja, has sought stakeholders’ support for government policies in research and innovation to ensure favourable regulatory environment for food industry.
The President of NIFST, Prof. Joseph Abu, made the call during the 10th Regional Food Science and Technology Summit (ReFOST), and NIFST’s Day celebration in Abuja.
The theme of the Summit is “the role of food science and Technology professionals in the sustainability and security of food with high Nutritional Benefits to man’’.
Abu regretted that in the face of abundant natural resources and a rich agricultural heritage, Nigeria was still grappling with the challenges of ensuring that every citizen had access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food.
According to him, food security and nutritional wellbeing are fundamental human rights and represent the cornerstone of sustainable development.
“This partly explains why the role of food scientists and technologists is indispensable.
“We can still achieve together with other stakeholders in our collective quest to bring all forms of hunger to an end in this country and beyond,’’ Abu said.
He emphasised that through research development and deployment of existing and new technologies, food professionals must strive to enhance the nutritional profile of foods.
He added that foods professionals must scale up relevant innovations that would make food nutritious more accessible to every segment of the population.
“As the challenges we face in achieving sustainable food and nutrition security are complex and interwoven, fostering collaboration among stakeholders is essential.
“In addition, government policies must support research and Innovation, provide incentives for sustainable practices and ensure a favorable regulatory environment for the food industry,” Abu said.
He, however, said academic institutions and research organisations must continue to lead scientific research, development and innovation, providing the knowledge and tools needed to address current and future challenges.
Abu said that private partners sector, including food producers, processors and retailers, should play the critical role of bringing innovations to the market and ensuring their widespread adoption.
He said NIFST remained committed to supporting educational initiatives, professional development programmes, and research endeavors that empowered members, adding that capacity building was also important.
Abu, who said investing in the education and training of the youths was necessary, added that the country was preparing the next generation of food scientists and technologists as well as entrepreneurs who would move the food industry forward.
The Director-General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Mrs Agnes Asagbra, said some of the challenges of food security include climate change impact, erratic rainfall patterns increased frequency of droughts and land degradation.
Asagbra, represented by an Assistant Director from the Agency, Mrs Blessing Aligwekwe, said millions of metric tons of food were lost or wasted in Sub-Saharan African each year.
The Director-General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr Ifeanyi Okeke, said food safety was paramount and directly impact the health and wellbeing of individuals across the country
Okeke, represented by the Principal Standard Officer of SON, Mrs Chiamaka Anyagwa, urged all Food Science and Technology professionals to uphold the highest standards of quality, safety and sustainability in production and distribution of food products.
The FCT chapter Chairman of NIFST, Mrs Promise Ogbonna, said the food summit was organised annually for the celebration of the birth of NIFST by deliberating on vital and current issues that affect food safety, food security advancement in food science and technology.
She said the chapter had engaged in sensitisation campaigns at market places and abattoirs.
“Our food safety approaches must be measured by evaluating our processes, products, ingredients, packaging materials, processing aids and product contact surfaces.
“We must identify potential hazards and put action in place to eliminate them,” she said.
