OVERVIEW OF THE DIRECTORATE

The Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) Directorate is one of the technical Directorates of NAFDAC created to refocus and further strengthen the Agency’s mandate of regulatory oversight in the food sector to reduce, to the barest minimum, food safety related public health issues. The Directorate began operations in April 2013 and has her headquarters in Lagos, a Satellite Office in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, and activities that span the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Our core mandate is to ensure that food manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, advertised, sold, and used in Nigeria meet the highest standards of food safety and quality reasonably achievable while offering good nutrition to the population.

The FSAN headquarters is located on the second floor of the NAFDAC Office Complex at Plot 1, Isolo Industrial Estate, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Isolo, Lagos.

STRUCTURE

The Directorate is headed by a Director operating from the headquarters, supported by a professional team covering management, regulatory and administrative staff. To carry out her functions effectively and efficiently, the Directorate operates six (6) Divisions, the Satellite Office and the Director’s Office: The Divisions are:

1. Food Inspection, Medium Enterprises and Agricultural Products
2. Food Safety, Codex and Regulations
3. Food Evaluation, Food Storage & Quick Service Restaurants
4. Packaged Water
5. Bakery & Baked Products
6. Nutrition

FUNCTIONS OF THE FOOD SAFETY AND APPLIED NUTRIRION (FSAN) DIRECTORATE

In the bid to contribute to safeguarding public health through a fair and effective food safety regulatory and control regime, the FSAN Directorate is tasked with functions which include the following:

1. Conduct Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) assessments of food and water establishments, and monitor continued compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and guidelines through inspection activities.
2. Conduct inspection of supermarkets (and their warehouses) as a prerequisite for issuance of Global Listing licences for supermarket operators, hotels, and food service establishments.
3. Conduct inspection of production/packaging facilities (and warehouses) of processed and semi-processed agricultural food commodities and verify that products intended for export meet the required safety and quality parameters that assure food safety as a prerequisite for issuance of export certificate.
4. Initiate development of, and participate in, review and revision of food regulations.
5. Develop, review, and revise food guidelines.
6. Participate in the development of relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) anchored by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
7. Ensure that regulations governing the safety of food are implemented to assure food safety.
8. Implement the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (BMS) and the national regulations (Marketing of Infant and Young. Children Food and other Designated Products (Registration, Sales, Etc.).
9. Provide relevant regulatory information on the Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) measures of the World Trade Organization Agreement to intending exporters of processed and semi-processed agricultural food commodities as the National Enquiry Point on Food Safety.
10. Coordinate activities of the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) as the INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point for Nigeria.
11. Coordinate and anchor the activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme) for the Agency in the development of international and regional food standards, guidelines and codes of practice to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade.
12. Participate in national nutrition programmes and activities in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Development Partners, to contribute in improving national nutrition indices.
13. Organize workshops, trainings, seminars, webinars etc. to commemorate relevant international days and weeks such as World Food Safety Day, World Food Day, and World Breastfeeding Week.
14. Engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders (national and international) in relevant activities to implement and advance the mandate of the Agency in food safety and nutrition.
15. Ensure that regulatory and research programs are conducted to address health risks associated with food-borne illnesses from physical, chemical, and biological contaminants in food.
16. Ensure that strong synergy, collaboration, and cooperative relationships exist through communication and consultation with relevant stakeholders in the food chain from farm to table.
17. Ensure that standards, regulations, and guidelines for novel foods, functional foods, food supplements, including genetically modified food and new food additives are developed.
18. Organize industry outreach, consumer education and stakeholders’ engagements to provide information for positive impact.
19. Institute an effective regulatory regime for food, water and related products that supports made in Nigeria, ECOWAS and International markets and protects consumers from unfair practices.
20. Support and make meaningful contribution to the safety and security of the Nigerian food supply.