By Junaid Abdullahi
The Oyo State Government has banned the use of styrofoam for food packaging, storage, and other related purposes throughout the state.
Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, the state commissioner for health, announced the restriction during the Food Safety Stakeholders Forum at the government secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, on Monday.
The Commissioner went on to establish the Food Safety Compliance Enforcement Task Force to enforce the ban.
Ajetunmobi noted that the polystyrene ban was part of the Oyo State government’s efforts to improve food safety standards in the state.
According to reports, on February 8, the Oyo State House of Assembly recommended the state government prohibit the use of styrofoam for culinary purposes in the state.
The prohibition on polystyrene in Oyo State comes just a few months after it was outlawed in Lagos State due to environmental concerns and drainage blockages.
At the stakeholders’ roundtable on Monday, the Oyo health commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Health, Akintunde Ayinde, 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, saddled with the responsibility to regulate food business operations to ensure the presentation of wholesome edibles for public consumption in the state, plans to double her efforts to monitor and 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 added that the task force would raise awareness among actors along the food chain about the need to implement food safety regulations in the state.
Earlier, the ministry’s Director of Food, Water, and Laboratory Services, Afusat Akande, outlined the essential conditions that players in the food chain must achieve before being accredited.
