Safety Hazards Along Animal Food Supply Chain in Nigeria

Nigeria, like many other developing countries is actively promoting agricultural and food production to confront the challenge of providing adequate food supply. The Nigerian national food hygiene and safety policy was enacted to ensure the sale and consumption of wholesome food. However, our studies on Nigeria’s animal food safety status revealed that farm-to-fork; production, processing and sales procedures are sub-optimal. Additionally, there is a gap between research on possible impacts on human health, policy development and implementation. For example, antibiotics misuse by livestock farmers has impeded efficiency of antibiotic treatments leaving harmful residues in animal products. Control systems for animal food quality and safety should therefore range from operators along the food chain being well-informed, to external regulatory bodies. Animal food safety legislation should be followed by surveillance and collaboration among stakeholders (relevant governmental competent authorities, academia, non-governmental organisations, and industries) for effective planning and execution of Nigeria’s food hygiene and safety agenda. Food safety advisory/extension services is also advocated both to bridge the current gap as well as aid in the monitoring and evaluation of the different aspects of food safety from farm through processing, storage, conveyance, marketing to the table of consumers.