The House of Representatives has called on the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to monitor the preparation of food and drinks in hotels and restaurants.
The House also urged NAFDAC to strengthen its investigation and enforcement units to enable them conduct regular and on the spot inspection of hotels and restaurants to ensure that acceptable hygiene standard are met in the processing of foods and drinks served in public.
The House further requested the agency to liaise with the Public Prosecution Department of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, to patronize the prosecution of contravention of the Act that set-up the agency.
While leading debate on the matter, Rep. Sergius Ose (PDP-Edo) said section 5 (c) of the NAFDAC Act empowers the agency to take appropriate investigations into the production premises ad raw materials for food, drugs, cosmetics, bottled water, medical devices and chemicals and establish quality assurance system.
Rep. Ose who moved the motion further explained that the rising cases of food poisoning, typhoid fever, cholera and a host of other diseases caused by the unhygienic handling of food, preparation of drinks by hotels, fast food and other restaurants.
Aware that customers cannot monitor the processes of preparation of food and drinks before they are served.
According to Rep. Ose, "NAFDAC has done well in the area of drugs but in the area of food and drinks they need to step up. There is also need for the regulatory agency to set up a policy frame work in place to check mate such activities," he submitted.
Rep. Abubakar Kannike (APC-Kwara) also supported the motion. He called on relevant agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the management, control and protection of food to do the needful.
"We need the agencies set up for this purpose to do the needful because they are mandated to do it", he said.
The motion was unanimously adopted by a voice vote and referred to the committee on Health Services for more legislative action.
0 comments: