Microbial Food Safety Regulations and Governance in Nigerian Food Industries

Abstract

This comprehensive review analyzes the microbial food safety regulatory framework and governance challenges within Nigerian food industries. It examines a system burdened by archaic and fragmented legislation, where key laws like the Food and Drug Act date to 1974 and a modernizing Food Safety and Quality Bill (FSQB) from 2016 remains unenacted . Regulatory responsibility is dispersed across multiple federal, state, and local agencies, leading to overlapping mandates and chronic enforcement gaps. The weak governance structure fails to oversee the vast informal food sector, a major public health risk where studies show up to 85.7% of street food vendors are never inspected and 75.7% exhibit low regulatory compliance . Consequently, Nigeria suffers a significant burden from foodborne diseases, with an estimated 200,000 deaths and an economic cost of US$3.6 billion annually. The analysis identifies foundational weaknesses, including under-resourced regulatory bodies like NAFDAC, which struggle with infrastructural deficits and limited laboratory capacity , and a pervasive neglect of food safety culture among consumers and producers who prioritize cost and convenience over hygiene . To mitigate these systemic failures, the review recommends urgent legislative reform, enhanced inter-agency coordination, significant investment in surveillance and laboratory infrastructure, and the strategic integration of modern scientific tools like predictive microbiology to transition from reactive to preventive food safety management.