Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Eating out!

Food business is definitely a very good and lucrative business. This is because, no matter what, people MUST eat! At some point, we have eaten out, even if it is not in the beautifully furnished food outlets. In Nigeria, there are local joints, popularly known as "bukas". There are several bukas in Lagos, even in the high class areas, and these joints enjoy great patronage from executives to clerks. Another local joint is the beer parlour, where "isi ewu" (a local dish made from goat meat) or cat fish pepper soup are served with the beer.

How many times have we stopped to wonder the source of that food we eat outside our homes? Have we ever seen how the food we eat is prepared? Have we ever imagined how these food or ingredients are preserved? How clean or healthy is the food you eat, particularly outside your home?

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC), the regulatory body for food and drug matters in Nigeria had been visiting ALL fast food joints in Nigeria, with a view to ensuring compliance with the Good Hygienic Practice.

This recent activity which commenced October 2009, is a welcome development, considering that in the past, NAFDAC paid more attention to drugs and cosmetics. So far, the mighty hand of NAFDAC had fallen on some big players in the fast food business for carrying out their business under "unhygienic conditions". The first was Sweet Sensation. According to the news, the NAFDAC inspectors were shocked to discover that the source of water for the outlet was a borehole located close to an underground concrete sewage . . .

Hmmmm! Then some weeks ago, another fast food outlet was sealed. This time around, it was Tetrazzini. The vivid description of the entire premises made me sick. Imagine storing "fresh fish in deep freezers that were not properly functional. . ." or water pipes "leaking with algae growth and cobwebs around them . . ."

NAFDAC, please continue this exercise. Pay surprise visits to these outlets and please continue to make your findings public.
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