In an effort to guarantee food and nutrition security, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has organized a four-day food safety and hygiene workshop for farmers, food processors, and dealers in four local governments in Oyo State.
The training was designed to enhance the stakeholders’ understanding and implementation of food safety practices.
With funding from the German government via the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GAIN, in partnership with GIZ and the Green Innovation Centre for the Agricultural and Food Sector in Nigeria (GIC), is carrying out the project named “Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples” to support the availability of safe, nutrient-enriched staple foods in the states requiring intervention.
At the Golden Tulip Hotel in Ibadan, food processors from four specifically chosen Local Government Areas in Oyo State—Afijio, Iseyin, Oyo West, and Ido—were trained in the value chains of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and vitamin A cassava to comply with regulatory criteria.
The project’s goals are to improve the technical proficiency of food processors in basic and advanced food safety and to expose participants to nutrient-rich foods, enabling them to maintain healthier diets at home and grow their brand in the community.
“We profiled fifty enterprises, producers, merchants, and processors for the project,” said a representative.
“The goal of this specific engagement is to ensure that the primary stakeholders receive training so they can understand what they can do with these staples and the agricultural products produced in their community.”
Chimere Nzeoma, a consultant, briefly discussed the importance of food safety in preventing food poisoning with reporters, advising attendees to apply the knowledge they had gained from the course to produce foods that are safe for human consumption.
Also speaking at the session, Rasheed Lawal, a cassava dealer from Oyo West Local Government, praised the organizers and mentioned that he had gained further knowledge regarding branding, packaging, and food safety. Lawal added that his business would benefit from the technical food processing skills training.