•Fresh bread
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has charged bakers, manufacturers, operators on production process, right labelling, urging them to examine their products to determine if it meets government standards.
Tunji Bello, the Chief Executive Officer FCCPC gave this charge yesterday in Lagos at the stakeholder engagement forum with bakery and confectionery operators organised by the FCCPC’S South West Zonal office with theme ‘Building consumer trust through quality and safety: A regulatory mandate for industry operators.
Speaking at the event which theme is ‘‘Building consumer trust through quality and safety: A regulatory mandate for industry operators’, he urged every operator to examine their products especially in five areas; reviewing ingredients and inputs, production process, audit what you tell the consumer, strengthen traceability and complaint handling, prepare for the possibility that something may go wrong.
“After reviewing these areas, there is one useful question every producer can ask: if I knew everything about how this product was made, would I confidently serve it to my own family”?
“If the answer is yes”, said the CEO, represented by the South West Zonal Coordinator of FCCPC, Dr. Olubumi Otti “maintain that standard. If there is any hesitation, identify the reason and address it. That is where your compliance work should begin”.
Bello stressed that consumer trust is not built by advertising alone but also earned through the way a business conducts itself.
He said that consumers develop confidence when the product inside the package corresponds with what is stated on it, when the quantity supplied matches the quantity promised, and when businesses accept responsibility and act promptly when problems arise.
“That confidence is sustained when standards are maintained consistently, not only when a regulator is present.
“The bakery and confectionery industry have an unusually close relationship with the Nigerian consumer. Your products enter our homes, schools, offices and celebrations, and ultimately, they are consumed by our families. That creates enormous commercial opportunity, but it also carries a significant responsibility”.
Bello said the FCCPC wants businesses in this sector to prosper.
“We want to see them expand, innovate, employ more Nigerians and build brands that endure. Sustainable businesses, however, depend on consumer confidence, and that confidence rests on quality, safety, honesty and accountability”.
“The commitment I ask you to take away from this engagement is therefore practical. Make quality part of your everyday operations. Treat safety as non-negotiable. Be truthful with consumers and give them what you have promised. Above all, make compliance part of the way you do business, rather than something you prepare for only when a regulator is coming” said the FCCPC CEO.
According to him, If we can establish that culture across this industry, consumers will be safer, responsible businesses will be stronger and public confidence in the sector will grow.
Speaking further, he noted “It is particularly important for us to engage with an industry whose products are part of the daily lives of millions of Nigerians. From the neighbourhood bakery serving its community every morning to the large-scale producer supplying thousands of retail outlets, you are entrusted with something very important: the confidence that what you produce and sell is safe for consumption”.
He noted that bread and other baked products are among the most familiar items on Nigerian tables, yet every purchase requires the consumer to place considerable trust in the producer.
“Consumers do not ordinarily know where the ingredients came from, how they were stored, or the conditions under which the products were made.
“They do not inspect the production environment or equipment. They depend on the producer to maintain proper hygiene, use appropriate ingredients, represent the product truthfully and supply the quantity promised.
“Our purpose here today is to reinforce a simple principle: that trust must be justified by conduct. The theme of this engagement, ‘Building Consumer Trust Through Quality and Safety: A Regulatory Compliance Mandate for Industry Operators’, therefore goes beyond the subject of today’s meeting. It speaks directly to the standard expected of every operator in this industry”.
Furthermore the FCCPC CEO said, “We often speak about consumer protection in terms of complaints and redress. “However, by the time a consumer has eaten unsafe food and suffered harm, the most important opportunity to protect that consumer has already been lost.
“Effective consumer protection must therefore begin before the product reaches the shelf. It starts with the source and quality of ingredients and continues through production, hygiene, handling, packaging, labelling, storage, transportation and display. It also covers what businesses tell consumers about their products, the quantity they promise and actually supply, and how they respond when something goes wrong”.
According to Bello, “This is particularly important in your industry because your products are ingested and consumed every day by adults and children alike. A defective non-food product may inconvenience a consumer or result in economic loss. Unsafe food can cause injury or serious harm. For that reason, food safety cannot be compromised in the pursuit of profit”.
He said the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 gives consumers the right to receive goods that are reasonably suitable for the purposes for which they are generally intended, are of good quality, in good working order and free of defects, and comply with applicable standards set by industry sector regulators.
“For bakery and confectionery operators, these are not abstract legal principles. They should be reflected in the everyday operation of your businesses adding that every input matters: its source, condition and storage. The cleanliness of your equipment matters. The hygiene of personnel matters, as do the integrity of your packaging, handling and transportation processes”.
He said that Consumer protection does not benefit consumers alone but “Effective regulation also protects businesses that invest in doing things properly. Consider two bakeries”
The executive vice chairman of the Commission therefore warned that where businesses expose consumers to unsafe products, engage in deceptive practices, disregard applicable standards or otherwise violate consumer rights, the FCCPC will act within its statutory mandate and, where appropriate, in coordination with the relevant sector regulator.
Bello reiterated that our “objective is not to punish legitimate enterprise. It is to protect consumers and ensure that businesses do not gain an unfair advantage by violating their rights. Responsible operators should expect effective regulation because every business allowed to profit from misconduct places those who bear the legitimate cost of compliance at a disadvantage”.
