The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cautioned importers, manufacturers, distributors, and other operators in the bakery and confectionery industry against compromising food safety, using unsafe substitutes, and misleading consumers in an effort to ensure safety.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, gave the warning on Tuesday at a stakeholder engagement with bakery and confectionery operators organized by the South-West Zonal Office of the commission at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, according to a statement obtained by The PUNCH.
Bello, who was represented at the event by the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Olubunmi Otti, explained that the engagement focused on strengthening compliance with consumer protection, product safety, quality, and labeling requirements across the sector.
Bello emphasized that bread and other baked products were consumed daily by millions of Nigerians, “making food safety and consumer confidence critical responsibilities for operators.”
“Consumers ordinarily had no way of knowing where ingredients came from, how they were stored, or the conditions under which products were manufactured. They rely on producers to maintain proper hygiene, use appropriate ingredients, accurately represent their products, and supply the quantity promised,” Bello said.
Bello said effective consumer protection covered the entire production chain, including the sourcing and quality of ingredients, production, hygiene, handling, packaging, labelling, storage, transportation and display.
He said it also covered the information businesses provided to consumers, the quantity promised and supplied, as well as the actions taken when something went wrong.
According to him, food safety cannot be compromised in the pursuit of profit.
He stressed that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 gives consumers the right to goods that are reasonably suitable for their intended purposes, such as good quality, free of defects and compliant with applicable standards set by sector regulators.
Bello, however, acknowledged that businesses were operating in an economic environment where the costs of flour, sugar, energy, transportation, packaging, equipment and financing could fluctuate and place pressure on profit margins.
He noted that such commercial realities could not justify practices that endangered consumers.
The FCCPC boss warned that operators must not respond to rising input costs by resorting to unsafe substitutes, harmful or prohibited additives, poor-quality ingredients, compromised hygiene, manipulated expiry information or other shortcuts that transfer commercial risks to consumers.
He also cautioned operators against misleading consumers through product labels, advertisements and other forms of marketing.
Bello explained that information supplied to consumers on products, packaging, accompanying materials, at points of sale, social media or conventional media must be accurate and not misleading.
