Reps Move To Regulate Nutrition Practice In Nigeria
By Ferdinand Olise
The House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has taken a major step towards regulating nutrition practice and improving access to professional services for citizens to make necessary sound nutritional choices.
This is as lawmakers and stakeholders converged for a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria. Declaring the public hearing open, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, called on stakeholders to approach the hearing with a shared commitment to enact a law that will provide a solid regulatory framework and improve the quality of nutrition services available to the public.
Chairman of the Committee, Deacon Chike Okafor, said the House is neutral and un-biased stating that feedback from stakeholders will influence further legislative action on the bill.
On her part, the Deputy Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Mrs. Anyanwu Felicitas, said the Code of Regulation of Nigeria, 2024 empowers the Agency to regulate and control the importation, exportation, manufacturing, advertisement, distribution, sell and use of goods, drug, cosmetics, medical devices, packaged water, and chemicals.
She therefore recommended that NAFDAC be involved and be member of the governing body of competence as the Agency’s statutory methods to regulate and control quality and safety directly intersect with the practices and professions of nutrition.
