Ademola Adegbite
The Oyo State Government has banned the use of styrofoam for food packaging and storage.
The State House of Assembly had, on Thursday, February 8, 2024, urged the state government to ban the use of Styrofoam and inaugurated the Food Safety Compliance Enforcement Task Force to oversee the enforcement of food safety rules and regulations in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, who made this announcement during the Food Safety Stakeholders Forum, and the inauguration of the task force, held at the conference room of the ministry, Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital, said the decision was part of government efforts to uphold food safety standards in the state.
Ajetunmobi, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Akintunde Ayinde, said, “Prevention is better and cheaper than cure; hence the need for people to adhere strictly to food standards to save lives in the state.
“The menace of food poisoning, indiscriminate use of chemical products for food production, processing, packaging, and other sharp practices being carried out by food business operators have become great public health concerns in the state.
“The directorate of Food, Water, and Laboratory Services is saddled with the responsibility to regulate food business operations to ensure the presentation of wholesome edibles for public consumption in the state, planned to double her efforts to monitor/inspect food business premises in the state.
“Consequently, the use of Styrofoam for food services, storage, and other related usage in the state is also banned.”
He explained that the task force would be sensitising the actors along the food chain on the importance attached to the implementation of food safety standards by the government.
Speaking also, the director of food, water, and laboratory services in the ministry, Afusat Akande, highlighted the basic requirements that actors along the food chain must meet before they can be certified.
She explained that the requirements included routine medical fitness certificates from designated state government hospitals, evidence of regular fumigation of production premises by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources recognized consultant, and water quality analysis by the Ministry of Health recognized consultant, among others.
Ayinde, who is the leader of the task force, promised to work with the ministry to achieve its set objective.
She noted that the task force is made up of members from the state Food Safety Management Committee, the Nigeria Police Force, the Association of Table Water Producers, the Association of Canteen Workers, and a host of others.
Recall that in January, the Lagos State Government placed a ban on the use and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics across the state.
Lagos bans use of styrofoam, single-use plastics – Healthwise (punchng.com)
This was announced by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement.
However, the ban has continued to elicit mixed reactions from various sectors and bodies, with some seeing it as a move that will impoverish and fuel unemployment in the state.
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