An expert in the health sector and the Consulting Partner at Enpact Health, Ms Arse-Lucia Ojelede, has called on the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to work in unison and curb food poisoning at the nation’s airports.
Ojelede who made the call while speaking to aviation correspondents on aviation industry and food safety, last Wednesday, noted that some people had died of food poisoning because they did not manage it properly.
“At the airports where a lot of people pass through daily, we can have food contamination through several means. The National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) needs to partner with FAAN for food safety standards.
“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has to look at (into) the quality of food sold at the airports. If there are infractions in service, people need to know who to report to for remedial action because of hazards that could lead to injury or loss of lives”, she said.
She noted that most cases of food poisoning involving passengers were not reported to enable the regulators sanction erring operators.
According to her, most of the biological hazards to food poisoning are unseen and require best standards to keep the airport environment safe at all time.
“About 3,000 Nigerians die annually due to food poisoning, but unfortunately, most people do not come out to report the deaths, which make most of the deaths unrecorded.
“Most of the food vendors at the airports are not certified by NAFDAC. I urge FAAN to always request for NAFDAC certification from prospective food vendors before allotting spaces to them within the airport.
“There must be thorough checking of food served in the industry. We will not come to your sector if you do not invite us, but we need to sanitise the food industry in the aviation sector.
“Food is the starting point for our energy, our health and our well-being, we often take for granted that it should be safe. In an increasing complex and interconnected world where the food value chain is growing longer, standards and regulations are much more important in keeping us safe”, she said.
Stressing on why food vendors at the nation’s airport should be certified, the expert said that the Nigerian aviation industry is part of the global aviation system and definitely has to borrow from what is obtainable around the world so that the country can be known for best practices.

By: Corlins Walter