In a bold push to improve public health and food industry standards, the Lagos State Government, in partnership with DIDONI Company Limited, convened key stakeholders for the 2025 Food Safety Workshop.
Themed “Food Safety First: Protecting Consumers, Empowering Industries,” the event brought together regulators, manufacturers, scientists, and industry leaders to tackle Nigeria’s persistent food safety challenges.
Held in Lagos, the workshop served as a convergence point for experts from across the country’s food value chain to address pressing issues such as product contamination, regulatory lapses, and consumer exposure to health risks.
Declaring the workshop open, Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, called for urgent action to institutionalise food safety in both the formal and informal food sectors.
“Food safety must be central to our health and industrial policies. Protecting the public from food-borne risks is not negotiable,” Mojola stated.
“This requires joint responsibility from government, businesses, and the public.”
He applauded DIDONI Company Limited for its strategic partnership, noting that Lagos remains committed to building a resilient regulatory framework that supports businesses while ensuring consumer health is not compromised.
In his remarks, Mr. Adekola Joseph, CEO of DIDONI Company Limited, underscored the economic and health risks associated with unsafe food.
“When food is unsafe, lives are at risk, economies suffer, and consumer trust is eroded. This workshop is a clarion call for all players—large and small—to make food safety a non-negotiable priority,” he said.
The workshop featured technical sessions and panel discussions exploring: best practices in food processing and packaging; compliance with NAFDAC and SON safety guidelines; emerging threats from adulterated and contaminated foods and training and certification for food handlers.
Participants shared real-world case studies of product recalls and litigation stemming from food safety failures, stressing the importance of proactive compliance and public education.
Industry representatives in attendance included stakeholders from Sweet Sensation, ShopRite, Rite Foods, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Nestlé, Casa Verde, Infinity Querentia, and members of professional bodies such as the Restaurants and Food Services Proprietors Association of Nigeria (REFSPAN) and the Association for the Promotion of Food Safety and Improved Nutrition (APFSAN), Lagos Chapter.
With mounting concerns over unregulated food markets and increasing reports of adulterated products, the 2025 Food Safety Workshop reaffirmed Lagos’ commitment to prioritising consumer well-being while building a sustainable and transparent food industry.
