The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has called on stakeholders in Gombe to join the fight against unsafe food and unethical business practises.
Mr Olatunji Bello , the Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, made the appeal in Gombe on Tuesday during a one-day sensitisation programme on the forced ripening of fruits, adulterated palm oil, meat, and grains.
Bello was represented by the Director of Quality Assurance and Development, Dr Nkechi Mba.
The commission’s appeal, he said, was part of a broader, nationwide campaign to combat harmful and unwholesome food handling, which endangers public health and erodes consumer trust.
“The safety of what we eat is not a responsibility that rests solely with regulators or manufacturers; it is a shared commitment,” he said.
He stressed that safe and nutritious food is essential to national development, public health, and economic stability.
The vice chairman highlighted several growing threats to food safety in Nigeria, including the forceful ripening of fruits using calcium carbide—an industrial chemical containing toxic elements such as arsenic and phosphorus.
He also noted the adulteration of food products with hazardous substances like bromate, sniper, Sudan red dye, and formalin.
“These practices endanger lives, destroy consumer trust, and undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s food system,” he said.
“As the nation’s apex consumer protection body, the FCCPC reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the interests of Nigerian consumers,” he added.
Bello noted that the commission continues to work with key partners through joint enforcement actions, market surveillance, and consumer education and has prosecuted offenders and promoted safer practices across the food value chain.
In his presentation, Mr Obukwelu Kenneth, Gombe State Coordinator of NAFDAC, stated that the public must be vigilant about what they consume.
He emphasised that “safeguarding public health is not NAFDAC’s mandate alone; the public must be on the lookout and report sharp practices,” he said.
He acknowledged that artificial fruit ripening and food adulteration are becoming rampant, with some individuals using chemicals that are harmful to the human body.
“NAFDAC has been warning the public, and the present Director-General is serious about taking action,” he added.
Also speaking, Dr David Karatu, Director of Public Health in the Gombe State Ministry of Health said that using chemicals to ripen fruit or adulterate food has serious consequences on human health.
He explained that some immediate effects include food poisoning, cancer, neurological issues, and degeneration.
Hajiya Maryam Salihu, president of the Market Women Association, Gombe State Chapter, described the sensitisation as timely, considering the harmful practices of food adulteration observed in some quarters.
She pledged that her members would take the campaign to the grassroots and educate those unaware of the dangers of such practices
