The policies might boost Nigeria’s aim of eradicating poverty, hunger by 2035.
For a large population already poor and at risk, disruptions to food value chains and food insecurity have driven most people to a catastrophic situation, adding to the string of woes experienced in the country. Unavailability and adequate access to edible food have been said to be major concerns. In Nigeria, there is no actual official policy put in place to address the country’s nearly 38 million tons of food loss and waste per year and encourage food donation.
As the emerging and increasing challenges to food security and food donation continues to loom in Nigeria, the Global Food Donation Policy, Atlas has in recent time demonstrated advisory concern, proposing policies which might be a boost to attaining the country’s objective of eradicating poverty and mitigating hunger issue by 2035. The proposed policies serve as a stimulus to Nigeria’s existing policies and legal barriers to food donation. It also highlights strategic solutions that align with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Food donations are not covered by any form of tax incentive in Nigeria.
The urgency of bridging the discrepancy between food production and consumption is underscored in a report released by Atlas, which shows that 44% of Nigeria’s population suffers moderate or severe food insecurity while 40% of food is wasted post-harvest. Some of the policies proposed to encourage food donations in Nigeria include providing detailed information on food safety standards that apply to donations, creating clear and comprehensive liability protections for food donors and food recovery organizations that meet food safety standards, and distributing surplus food.
In addition, Atlas also proposed measures, including incentive schemes and awareness initiatives. Currently, in Nigeria, food donations are not covered by any form of tax incentive. As a result, the expenses of preparing, storing, and delivering donated food are at the expense of the donators. It further suggests that tax incentives should be made available for in-kind donations adding that food donation organizations should be included on the list of organizations to which tax-deductible donations can be made.
Donors are to be protected from any potential criminal charges.
Speaking on the proposed policies, the President of the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Michael Sunbola, assert that the policies have the capacity to promote the donation of edible food whilst mitigating food waste in the food industry. According to Halley Aldeen, GFN’s Research Director, the biggest issue with food donations is the worry that recipients could be harmed because of what they eat, thus the necessity for donors to be protected from any potential criminal charges.
Several bodies such as the Global Food Banking Network (GFN), Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), Postharvest Loss Alliance for Nutrition and the Lagos Food Bank Initiative are in collaboration to figure out how to get surplus food to people who need it, and what the most significant obstacles are to donating food. Director of FLPC, Emily Broad Leib, expressed optimism that the policies being proposed will have a positive effect on a variety of industries in Nigeria and inspire more people to provide food.
The public should be enlightened about food safety.
Furthermore, Sunbola also stressed the need to enlighten the public about food safety in order to alter the way that people in Nigeria think about the topic of use-by dates. He suggested using visuals and social media to spread the word about the promulgation. Given that the economic and human costs of food waste are substantial, as it was proposed, Nigeria could boost the effort to attain its objectives of reducing poverty and ending hunger by 2035 by scrutinizing and adjusting the food donation initiative.
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I can’t believe food will be aproblem at this present time when agriculture has always been our form of survival now we are talking of food donations by several donors teaching us food safety and importance of food.
Disruptions to food value chains and food insecurity have put millions of people in a dire condition, compounding the country’s other problems.
The primary issues have been a lack of availability as well as inadequate access to food that can be eaten. In Nigeria, there is no actual formal policy that has been put in place to deal with the issue.
The policy ideas serve as stimulants to Nigeria’s existing policies and legal restrictions on food donation, and we should all follow the strategic recommendations laid out in it.
In a report that was recently made public by Atlas, the urgency of bridging the gap that exists between food supply and consumption was brought to light.
Providing in-depth information on the food safety regulations that are applicable to contributions is one of the measures that has been advocated to increase the number of food donations received in Nigeria.
It was suggested that Nigeria may make greater progress toward its goals of decreasing poverty and eliminating hunger by reducing food waste, which has both economic and human implications.
The importance of educating the public about food safety in order to change the way that people in Nigeria think about the subject of best-before dates, which is why education is so important.
I hope this will pull through. Donation of food to the country might work to an extent. Especially for the people that have no access to food. It will help them a little. But the most important thing is for the government to empower it’s citizens to be self employed.
It’s very shameful and sadden my heart to hear that the Nigeria government can not provide food for her citizens,no security,no good healthcare system for a country that is blessed like Nigeria.
agriculture has always been our form of survival now we are talking of food donations by several donors teaching us food safety and importance of food.
Atlas propose food donation policy to Nigeria. This policy is a disgrace to the country. As big as Nigeria is, with large agriculture land yet the country is still hungry due to corruption and selfish government
Government should scrutinize and utilized these proposed policy as it looks good paper and has a positive prospect as highlighted.
I don’t believe that food donations will resolve Nigerian food shortage. Government should please deal with inflation make policies that are great benefits to Small and medium scale enterprises, then we are moving toward the solutions.
If this policy can bring positive thing and reduce poverty is good to adopt but we have to solve the issue of inflation is part of problems we are having in this country
This country is Nigeria has all it takes to be the bless in the world but for bad governance we are where we are today. Government should first deal with the root source of the problem.
The principal problems have been related to insufficient availability and access to edible food. There is currently no clear policy in place in Nigeria to address this problem.
We should all implement the policy recommendations outlined in it, as they act as boosters to the current regulations and legal limits on food donation in Nigeria.
Having enough access to and availability of eatable food has been cited as a major concern. There is no true formal policy in place in Nigeria to handle the nation’s annual food loss and waste of about 38 million tons and promote food donation.
To address the nation’s annual food loss and waste of approximately 38 million tons and promote food donation, there is no genuine official policy in existence. It’s a lot, that. This is one of the problems with the nation’s adequate food supply.
The government ought to investigate and put into practice these policies that have been offered because they look nice on paper and have a favorable possibility as was underlined.