The Oyo State Government on Monday prohibited the use of styrofoam for food services, storage, and other related purposes.
According to the PUNCH, the state House of Assembly called on the state government to ban the use of styrofoam for food purposes in the state last month.
The state has inaugurated the Food Safety Compliance Enforcement Task Force which will oversee the enforcement of food safety rules and regulations in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, made this announcement during the Food Safety Stakeholders Forum, and the inauguration of the task force that took place at the conference room of the ministry, Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital. He said the decision was part of government efforts to uphold food safety standards in the state.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Akintunde Ayinde, Ajetunmobi, said: “Prevention is better and cheaper than cure; hence the need for people to adhere strictly to food standards to save lives in the state.
“The menace of food poisoning, indiscriminate use of chemical products for food production, processing, packaging, and other sharp practices being carried out by food business operators have become great public health concerns in the state.
“The directorate of Food, Water, and Laboratory Services is saddled with the responsibility to regulate food business operations to ensure the presentation of wholesome edibles for public consumption in the state, planned to double her efforts to monitor/inspect food business premises in the state.
“Consequently, the use of Styrofoam for food services, storage, and other related usage in the state is also banned.”
The commissioner stated that the task force would be sensitizing the actors along the food chain on the importance attached to the implementation of food safety standards by the government.
