Health Ministry Pushes Science-Driven Reforms To Protect Nigerians
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Food Safety Day 2025, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s food supply through science-backed policies and smarter regulations.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday during the event themed “Food Safety: Science in Action,” the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, stressed that science and technology must be at the heart of Nigeria’s food safety systems.
She announced plans to upgrade laboratory testing protocols and introduce digital traceability systems across the entire food chain from farm to fork.
“This forward-thinking strategy is all about anticipating challenges before they occur,” she said. “We’re building on the foundations of our revised National Food Safety Policy and introducing science-led measures to protect public health.”
Among the Ministry’s recent milestones are the National Guideline for Sodium Reduction and the Food Handlers’ Medical Test Guideline, which have already started shifting practices in the food industry towards healthier, safer standards.
Backing this momentum, the Ministry has activated Technical Working Groups (TWGs) focused on key areas such as risk-based regulation, food inspection, and education-based research.
Kachollom says their evidence-based recommendations will shape the next phase of reform.
Meanwhile, Director of the Food Safety & Quality Programme, Dr John Atanda, sounded a note of caution disclosing that foodborne illnesses cause 600 million people to fall sick globally every year costing low- and middle-income countries over $110 billion annually.
Dr Atanda noted, “unsafe food hits the vulnerable the hardest,”. “Here in Nigeria, we’re seeing huge costs, estimated at $15 billion annually in treating these preventable illnesses.”
Also speaking at the event, Director of the Ministry’s Food and Drug Department, Mrs Olubunmi Aribeana, urged Nigerians to become “living ambassadors of food safety,” saying the health of the nation depends on collective responsibility.
She added: “Science helps us understand how food can become contaminated and gives us the tools to prevent it. Without it, maintaining safety across our increasingly complex food systems would be impossible.”
As Nigeria charts a new path with science in the driver’s seat, stakeholders across the agricultural, food service, and health sectors have been called to collaborate so as to ensure that every bite Nigerians take is safe, nourishing, and backed by science.
