The federal government has again cautioned farmers and food vendors against using harmful substances to process and preserve foods.

The executive vice chairman, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Olatunji Bello, gave the warning at a “One-Day Sensitisation Programme on Forced Palm Oil, Ripening of Fruits, Contaminated Meat and Grains” on Wednesday in Enugu.

Sensitising stakeholders, including farmers, food processors, vendors, and business owners, Mr Bello said they were critical to the nation’s food security and health.

The executive vice chairman urged them to abstain from the use of harmful substances in food processing.

He equally urged them to observe hygiene and safety protocols at every stage of their operations, label and package food correctly, in line with national and international standards.

Mr Bello also charged them to respect consumers’ rights and refrain from deceptive or unfair business practices.

He noted that the issues of food quality standards, safety, and fair business practices were more pressing than ever as the country continued to witness alarming trends like the forceful ripening of fruits using harmful chemicals such as calcium carbide.

The FCCPC boss said that these ingredients contained some amount of arsenic and phosphorus, both of which were highly toxic to humans.

According to him, the trend includes adulteration of food products with dangerous additives and preservative chemicals such as bromate, Sudan red colourant, sniper, formalin, among others.

The trend also includes improper handling and contamination across the food value chain, from farm to table, such as poor storage conditions, unhygienic environment, poor waste disposal, exposure of foodstuffs to flies, insects and rodents.

“These practices not only endanger the lives of millions of Nigerians, but they also erode consumer trust and sabotage the integrity of our food systems.

“Unsafe food not only endangers lives, but undermines trust in markets, disrupts trade, and damages the reputations of businesses, both large and small.

“Therefore, you all have the responsibility and duty of care to the public as every product you put on the shelves for consumers affects a family or a community positively or negatively,” he advised.

To the food industry stakeholders, he advised that the “future of your businesses depends on your integrity.

“Upholding food safety and quality is not only a legal obligation but a moral duty”.

He explained that through market surveillance, consumer education, enforcement actions, and strategic partnerships, FCCPC had intervened in numerous cases involving hazardous food practices.

The executive vice chairman stressed that across the country and around the world, the need for strict adherence to food regulations had become a matter of urgent public interest.

Mr Bello disclosed that the organisation had shut down facilities, imposed sanctions and prosecuted offenders.

Speaking also, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, the director of Chemical Education and Research, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), described forced ripening of fruit as a very serious challenge in the country.

He said calcium carbide was not a fruit ripening agent, explaining that it produced poisonous gas that was hazardous to health and other chemicals that caused cancer, kidney and other health issues.

Yahaya Kudan, director, Consumer and Business Education, FCCPC, acknowledged the increasing incidences of harmful practices in food production and processing, saying the practices not only pose significant health risks but also undermine consumer trust in the food industry.

“But FCCPC is committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that they have access to safe, high-quality food,” he said.

On his part, the Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Patrick Ubru, listed improper use of chemicals, poor hygiene, storage and others as major causes of food contamination.

He assured the participants that the state was working to ensure that food consumed in the state was healthy and safe.

The chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Enugu chapter, Romanus Eze, expressed surprise that how food they harvested naturally got contaminated in the hands of middlemen before reaching final consumers.

(NAN)