SON sensitizes stakeholders on fortification policy

The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has ended a symposium to educate relevant stakeholders in Kano on the federal government policy on food fortification.

The three major food items that must be fortified with vitamin A, according to the policy, are sugar, flour and vegetable oil.

The Director General of the organization, Osita Anthony Abolome, represented by Yahaya Nuhu Fana, Director Technical, DG’s office, said the sensitisation became necessary because of the fact that unfortified products are still coming into the country through illegal means.

“There are some products coming into the country, through the borders, that are not fortified with Vitamin A. So there is the need to sensitize stakeholders because some of them are doing it ignorantly believing they are doing no harm to anybody,” he said

The DG said it was incumbent upon the organization to let the public know about the dangers inherent in the consumption of those unfortified products.

In his remarks, the coordinator of Kano/Jigawa office of the organization, Alhaji Yunusa B. Muhammad, said one component of the policy was enforcement and it was unfair on the part of the organization to believe that everybody is aware of the policy, hence the need to organize the symposium.

Talatu Ethan, SON’s Deputy Director Laboratory sciences, was the resource person at the symposium where she presented a paper titled “Mandatory Food Fortification Programme in Nigeria,” to educate participants on the dangers of consuming unfortified food items.