The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Lagos Chapter, participated in the celebration of World Food Safety Day 2025 with several activities focused on creating awareness about safe food practices. These activities were aimed at informing the general public, market vendors, students, and small businesses on the importance of food safety in everyday life.

These included:

Market Advocacy at Sunday Market, Ogba.

On Wednesday 4 June 2025, in collaboration with the London Professional Training Centre (LPTC) and the Ministry of Health a market advocacy campaign at the Sunday Market, Ogba was implemented. This event was led by Yetunde Popoola, Chairperson of NIFST’s Street Food Safety Initiative (SFSI).

Market vendors and shoppers were educated on the dangers of harmful practices such as:

• Using carbide to ripen fruits and plantains
• Applying dangerous chemicals like Sniper on dried foods and fresh produce
• Poor hygiene and lack of protective clothing (e.g., gloves, aprons).

Leaflets and stickers were distributed to reinforce the food safety messages.

Radio Awareness Programme on Radio One 103.5FM.

On Saturday 7 June 2025, representatives of NIFST Lagos Chapter, Sunday Bamgbose (FNIFST) and Ifeoma Ugbo (MNIFST), joined the Food, Agric and Events radio segment to educate the public on food safety, addressing:

• Common unsafe food handling practices.
• Preventive measures against foodborne illnesses.
• The importance of government regulations.
• The role of science in improving food safety systems.

Listeners were encouraged to act responsibly whether as food producers or consumers.

School Sensitization at Triple Cross School, Ogba, Lagos State.

On Thursday 5 June 2025, at Triple Cross School students were taught about food safety and hygiene. Topics included:

• Dangers of food adulteration.
• Proper hand washing.
• Safer ways to prepare potentially contaminated foods like beans.

Students actively participated by asking questions and received educational materials to share with their families 

World Food Safety Day Webinar, Online Awareness.

On Thursday 12 June 2025, a virtual webinar titled “Food Safety: Science in Action” was held. Guest speaker Dr Adedayo Adeniyi Odugbemi (representing food update konsult), and moderator, Abayomi Abiru, led the discussion on the global relevance of science in food safety.

Key points included:

• The need for collaboration among scientists, engineers, and regulators.
• Investing in research and data.
• Making informed decisions from farm to fork.

The webinar included a Food Safety Trivia, with prizes awarded to the top participants. It was well attended by professionals and the general public, with sponsorship from The Food Update Konsult, Seven-Up Bottling Company, and Nourrit Technol Systems.

Market Advocacy at Ijako Market, Ogun State, Nigeria.

On Saturday 14 June 2025, NIFST’s Ota Zone team, led by Dr Edith Alagbe, carried out a market sensitization campaign at Ijako Market along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The team spoke directly to food vendors about:

Avoiding harmful practices like using tyre fires to process animal hides (Ponmo), and maintaining clean environments to prevent contamination by pests.

The team also shared hygiene tips and emphasized the importance of clean water and proper food storage.

Final Advocacy at Ojuwoye Market, Mushin Lagos, Nigeria.

To round off their WFSD activities, NIFST visited Ojuwoye Market, Mushin on Tuesday 17 June 2025, alongside partners:

• Professional Association of Public Health Nursing Officers of Nigeria [PAPHNON].
• Lagos Waste Management Authority [LAWMA].
• Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency [LASCOPA].
• Lagos State Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment & Water Resources.

Topics addressed included:

Common harmful food practices such as using paracetamol to soften meat, sniper on dry foods, and using newspapers/nylon to wrap hot food. Safer alternatives were recommended, like natural ripening methods and using clean paper instead of recycled or chemically treated materials.

During the outreach the team:

• administered questionnaires to assess vendors' food safety knowledge.
• distributed food safety promotional leaflets.
• Provided medical vital checks.
• Distributed deworming medication to interested individuals.

The activities during this campaign helped reinforce the message that food safety is everyone’s responsibility.

The team has encouraged the government and relevant agencies to:

• Collaborate more with professional bodies like NIFST
• Support ongoing public education efforts through radio, print, and digital media
• Create policies that prioritize food safety across all levels of food production and distribution.
• Acknowledge that safe food should not be a privilege, it is a right. Unsafe food is not food; it is poison.

NIFST is confident they are changing the narrative by discouraging food fraud, promoting safe practices, and building a culture of responsibility in food handling.

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World Food Safety Day 2025 news