The Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFoST) has called for the mandatory involvement of licensed Food Science and Technology professionals in the implementation of the National Guidelines for Public Procurement of Food and Related Services.
The Council made the demand during a strategic courtesy visit to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in Abuja on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, where it presented expert recommendations on the newly unveiled guidelines.
Receiving the delegation, BPP Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun, commended NiCFoST for what he described as its professionalism, patriotism and proactive engagement.
Adedokun said public procurement should not be viewed merely as a compliance mechanism but as a strategic tool for national development, economic growth and the protection of public health.
He assured the Council that BPP would partner with NiCFoST and carefully review its recommendations for possible incorporation into the operationalisation of the guidelines.
According to him, multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to ensuring that public funds deliver optimal value while protecting the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
The BPP boss also said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu were committed to promoting quality assurance in food procurement and encouraging the consumption of safe, healthy and nutritious diets.
He stressed that the National Guidelines, being products of an Act of Parliament, must be fully implemented and subjected to periodic review.
Earlier, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NiCFoST, Mrs. Veronica Eze, commended the Federal Government and BPP for successfully launching the guidelines.
Eze explained that NiCFoST, established in 2019, is statutorily mandated to regulate and advance the practice of Food Science and Technology in Nigeria.
She said the Council’s review of the guidelines revealed a major professional gap, particularly the absence of explicit recognition of licensed Food Science and Technology professionals in their implementation.
“While the Guidelines comprehensively address procurement processes and food safety requirements, they do not expressly recognise the role of licensed Food Science and Technology professionals, who are specifically trained and regulated to undertake the food science functions necessary to achieve those food safety requirements,” she said.
Eze maintained that food must be scientifically and technologically managed across the entire value chain, including processing, preservation, packaging, storage, transportation, preparation and distribution.
She drew a distinction between procurement procedures and professional food safety management, saying, “Procurement procedures determine how food is procured. Food Science and Technology practice ensures that the food being procured is safe, nutritious, wholesome, and fit for human consumption.”
NiCFoST therefore urged BPP to formally recognise the Council as a technical stakeholder in the implementation, review and capacity-building activities connected to the guidelines.
The Council specifically called for the registration, licensing and deployment of qualified Food Science and Technology professionals in public food procurement.
It also urged BPP to promote the procurement of food and related services from professionally managed and duly regulated food vendors at the federal, state and local government levels, while supporting efforts to close existing professional gaps in Nigeria’s food sector.
The meeting ended with a joint commitment by BPP and NiCFoST to establish a Joint Technical Working Framework to strengthen compliance, monitoring and evaluation of public food procurement processes nationwide.
