John Tehinse, Managing Director, Funta Services Nigeria Limited and Food Consultant has tasked food vendors and owners of small businesses against commiting fraud in the process of production to guard against health challenges intentionally cause.
The food consultant made the call at the second day of the training organised for 50 food vendors and processors on Basic and Advanced Food Safety and Hygiene Best Practices, on Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The training was organised by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
He said activities of some producers such as adulteration, tempering, unauthorized production, counterfeiting, theft, diversion and gray market and simulation constitute hazard to the public.
He added that food fraud which is an intentional activity for the purpose of economic gain which affects food quality and poses risk to health.
The expert noted that apart from the activities of some fraudulent producers, there were malicious and ideological motivated attacks aimed at contaminating the products thereby leading to disruption of the food supply chain.
He said that vendors and owners of businesses must take cein measures to ensure the security of the food and other products from attackers and sabotage.
“You must protect food facilities from intentional contamination in the primary production to the consumer from potential threats such as toxic chemical substances, biological toxins, physical as well as nuclear substances.
“You can protect the food and production facilities by using access control, surveillance cameras, and scanners,” he added.
Tehinse noted that intentional food contamination could be external when raw materials were contaminated before supply for food processing and forceful entry, when a person gains access to the facility forcefully to contaminate the product.
“If can also be through secret entry, when a visitor secretly contaminates food products to cause harm to the plant and injury to customers and inside collaborator, when employee is used sabotage a food products,” he added.
Also speaking, Mrs Patricia Monwuble, a retired Director from National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), advised the participants to always ensure standard products.
Monwuble, who is now a Senior Associate, Funta Services Nigeria Ltd, said that maintaining standard products would go a long way toward determining its value and acceptability by consumers.
She advised processors to maintain purity, size, flavour, aroma, colour, safety, nutrition and other attributes that would not cause any effect when consumed.
Participants at the training were drawn from four Local Governments Areas of Benue and NasarawaPp State. (NAN).