The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned bakery and confectionery operators against compromising food safety as rising business costs continue to squeeze their profit margins.
The commission urged importers, manufacturers, distributors and other players in the sector to avoid using unsafe ingredient substitutes or giving consumers misleading information about their products.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, gave the warning on Tuesday during a stakeholder engagement with bakery and confectionery operators organised by the commission’s South-West Zonal Office at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Bello, who was represented by the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Dr Olubunmi Otti, said the meeting was aimed at improving compliance with consumer protection, product safety, quality and labelling standards in the industry.
He stressed that the importance of food safety could not be overlooked, noting that bread and other baked products are consumed by millions of Nigerians every day.
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“Consumers ordinarily had no way of knowing where ingredients came from, how they were stored or the conditions under which products were manufactured,” Bello said.
He added that consumers trusted producers to maintain proper hygiene, use safe ingredients, provide accurate information and supply the quantity advertised.
According to him, consumer protection extends beyond the final product to every stage of production, including sourcing ingredients, manufacturing, hygiene, packaging, labelling, storage, transportation and display.
Bello acknowledged that the rising costs of flour, sugar, energy, transportation, packaging, equipment and access to finance were putting businesses under pressure.
However, he maintained that economic challenges could not be used as an excuse to engage in practices that could put consumers at risk.
He further reminded operators that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 guarantees consumers the right to quality goods that are fit for their intended purpose, free from defects and compliant with relevant standards.
“Food safety cannot be compromised in the pursuit of profit,” Bello stressed.
