Organic Foods, Not the Same as Natural Foods
Organic Foods, Not the Same with Natural Foods
It was a privilege for me to be in attendance at the presentation of Zero Reject Initiative forum in Lagos, Nigeria, put together towards advancing the Conduit of Excellence, CoE, by Minister Audu Ogbeh.
Stakeholders in the meeting did ascertain the huge gap in our food safety and quality system and agreed that CoE is a gateway to inspiring encompassing safety processes if we want to halt suspension of agric product, loss in income and earn reputation in the global market
Zero Reject Initiative is one of the strategies put together by the present government towards attaining food sufficiency and integrating CoE across the entire food system, especially export value chain
The initiative priority is centre around National Quality Infrastructure Project, NQIP, with core task of developing consistent quality management so as to encourage improvement of the quality of our products and services to local and export markets
Fit for consumption has being vastly heightened as a result of this gesture within the export value chain while the effect on local food items is yet to be proven.
To be proven in food domestication is a question calling for answer. This was evident in the narrative by one of NAFDAC's director representing the then acting Director General of the agency at the event. She did explain how an exporter of agro processed product went through three consecutive lab analysis for cassava flour as the said product keep failing cyanide test before it finally merit the sanity check as she projected the role the agency play in upholding safety and quality.
You and I know that virtually every cassava flour display in the open markets across the length of this nation never pass through cyanide test, same with numerous other food products even those found on the shelf.
Did you remember the plastic rice intercepted by Nigerian Custom? And later subjected to laboratory analysis for verification by NAFDAC. I must commend both agencies for doing the needful while safeguarding our country from food poisoning.
However, arsenic test was not conducted on the rice at the time, as result of laboratory analysis sighted on the daily depicted.
Arsenic is carcinogenic, one of the world's most toxic elements that has received global attention due to its hazardous effect on human. Beside rice accumulates more arsenic than other food crops from the environment. It is the biggest food source of inorganic arsenic
Know the difference that organic food is not the same with natural food;
Organic foods are foods that have regulated definition unlike natural foods. They are regulated in that they are within the permissible limit in term of pesticide residues, microbial load, mycotoxins, safety plan and chemical limit.
To further buttress this, there is no such thing as perfectly safe products. This is why allowable daily intake, ADI, is projected as an integrate part of safety considerations by Codex
ADI is simply a permissible limit in food which is not able to cause any significant associated health issue during the lifetime of a consumer.
Organic foods are natural foods which are fit for consumption because they are safe having pass through safety check
Organic foods are free from antibiotic and growth hormone
Humanly raise and welfare of animal is important to organically raised animal
In advanced country of the world, a common domestic hen cannot be sold to next door neighbor without autheticating if it's safe for consumption by regulatory body unlike Nigeria where anything goes
Which of the so called "fresh fish" we consumed over here is free of contaminant like the neurotoxic mercury, lead, arsenic, and adulterants found in many of our stable foods.
Rice is now the cash crop for most federating unit. I doubt if the arsenic content for both local and imported ones is within limit? If our regulatory body could skip valuable test like arsenic in controversial plastic rice, what is the assurance that these rice could pass quality checks in developed clime?
Making natural food products organic is not rocket science. We did it in the 1st and 2nd Republic, why not now?
With the 774LGs and their Community Development Areas, CDA, commulating into Community Development Councils, CDC, could serve as channels to tap into by the government.
Bottom up approach from the family farmers and commercial farming with in house laboratory, public analyst using HMO/NHIS template coupled with vibrant extension workers through the CDCs alongside research institutes would advance organic foods over natural foodstuff
The entire world is in dire need of organic not natural foods as citizens everywhere are conscious of what goes into their mouth than ever before. Without mincing word, organic is not the same as natural food product for there is mad rush for organic foods with escalating expectant from Africa, especially Nigeria
It was a privilege for me to be in attendance at the presentation of Zero Reject Initiative forum in Lagos, Nigeria, put together towards advancing the Conduit of Excellence, CoE, by Minister Audu Ogbeh.
Stakeholders in the meeting did ascertain the huge gap in our food safety and quality system and agreed that CoE is a gateway to inspiring encompassing safety processes if we want to halt suspension of agric product, loss in income and earn reputation in the global market
Zero Reject Initiative is one of the strategies put together by the present government towards attaining food sufficiency and integrating CoE across the entire food system, especially export value chain
The initiative priority is centre around National Quality Infrastructure Project, NQIP, with core task of developing consistent quality management so as to encourage improvement of the quality of our products and services to local and export markets
Fit for consumption has being vastly heightened as a result of this gesture within the export value chain while the effect on local food items is yet to be proven.
To be proven in food domestication is a question calling for answer. This was evident in the narrative by one of NAFDAC's director representing the then acting Director General of the agency at the event. She did explain how an exporter of agro processed product went through three consecutive lab analysis for cassava flour as the said product keep failing cyanide test before it finally merit the sanity check as she projected the role the agency play in upholding safety and quality.
You and I know that virtually every cassava flour display in the open markets across the length of this nation never pass through cyanide test, same with numerous other food products even those found on the shelf.
Did you remember the plastic rice intercepted by Nigerian Custom? And later subjected to laboratory analysis for verification by NAFDAC. I must commend both agencies for doing the needful while safeguarding our country from food poisoning.
However, arsenic test was not conducted on the rice at the time, as result of laboratory analysis sighted on the daily depicted.
Arsenic is carcinogenic, one of the world's most toxic elements that has received global attention due to its hazardous effect on human. Beside rice accumulates more arsenic than other food crops from the environment. It is the biggest food source of inorganic arsenic
Know the difference that organic food is not the same with natural food;
Organic foods are foods that have regulated definition unlike natural foods. They are regulated in that they are within the permissible limit in term of pesticide residues, microbial load, mycotoxins, safety plan and chemical limit.
To further buttress this, there is no such thing as perfectly safe products. This is why allowable daily intake, ADI, is projected as an integrate part of safety considerations by Codex
ADI is simply a permissible limit in food which is not able to cause any significant associated health issue during the lifetime of a consumer.
Organic foods are natural foods which are fit for consumption because they are safe having pass through safety check
Organic foods are free from antibiotic and growth hormone
Humanly raise and welfare of animal is important to organically raised animal
In advanced country of the world, a common domestic hen cannot be sold to next door neighbor without autheticating if it's safe for consumption by regulatory body unlike Nigeria where anything goes
Which of the so called "fresh fish" we consumed over here is free of contaminant like the neurotoxic mercury, lead, arsenic, and adulterants found in many of our stable foods.
Rice is now the cash crop for most federating unit. I doubt if the arsenic content for both local and imported ones is within limit? If our regulatory body could skip valuable test like arsenic in controversial plastic rice, what is the assurance that these rice could pass quality checks in developed clime?
Making natural food products organic is not rocket science. We did it in the 1st and 2nd Republic, why not now?
With the 774LGs and their Community Development Areas, CDA, commulating into Community Development Councils, CDC, could serve as channels to tap into by the government.
Bottom up approach from the family farmers and commercial farming with in house laboratory, public analyst using HMO/NHIS template coupled with vibrant extension workers through the CDCs alongside research institutes would advance organic foods over natural foodstuff
The entire world is in dire need of organic not natural foods as citizens everywhere are conscious of what goes into their mouth than ever before. Without mincing word, organic is not the same as natural food product for there is mad rush for organic foods with escalating expectant from Africa, especially Nigeria
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