Current Facts About the Animal Food Products Safety Situation in Nigeria

The production, handling, sales, and consumption of poor quality animal food products are serious public health problems in Nigeria traceable to the underdeveloped status of livestock producers, marketers, meat processors, quality regulating agencies, and consumers. Operational research and published information about the quality status, consequence of contaminated animal food products on human health, the economics, and socio-cultural factors inhibiting change in the country are scanty and fragmented. The present report establishes some aspects of the quality status of animal food products as well as the need to investigate the socio-cultural facts and statistics about the status of animal food products production, handling, and consumption and their impact on human health in the country. It further highlights the major research issues that need to be addressed in order to generate relevant information for intervention and containment of the problem and its health risks.