FCCPC to bakers: Rising costs no excuse for unsafe food

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned bakery and confectionery operators against compromising food safety or misleading consumers in response to rising production costs.

The commission said increasing prices of flour, sugar, energy, transportation, packaging, equipment and financing were putting pressure on businesses but could not justify the use of unsafe ingredients, poor hygiene or deceptive labelling.

FCCPC Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, gave the warning on Tuesday in Lagos at a stakeholders’ engagement with bakery and confectionery operators organised by the commission’s South-West Zonal Office.

Bello, who was represented by the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Olubunmi Otti, said operators must not transfer the burden of rising production costs to consumers through practices that could endanger their health.

“When input costs rise, businesses cannot resort to unsafe substitutes, harmful or prohibited additives, poor-quality ingredients, compromised hygiene, manipulated expiry information or other shortcuts that transfer commercial risks to consumers,” he said.

He also warned businesses against making inaccurate claims about the weight, ingredients, shelf life, allergens and storage conditions of their products.

According to him, information provided to consumers through labels, packaging, social media, points of sale or advertisements must accurately represent the products being sold.

Bello stressed that bakery products required particular attention because they were consumed daily by millions of Nigerians, including children.

He said food safety must be maintained throughout the production process rather than checked only when finished products were ready for the market.

“Quality cannot simply be checked at the end of the production line. It has to be built into the entire production process,” he said.

The FCCPC chief urged bakers to strengthen the sourcing, storage and handling of ingredients, maintain hygienic production facilities and equipment, and improve staff practices.

He also called for effective traceability systems that would enable businesses to identify affected batches, ingredients and distribution points if a safety problem emerged.

Bello said manufacturers and distributors who became aware of unforeseen hazards in products already on the market had obligations under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, including notifying consumers and withdrawing affected products where necessary.

He urged operators to treat consumer complaints as early warnings of possible problems rather than attacks on their businesses.

According to him, repeated complaints could indicate defective batches, poor packaging, improper storage, problematic ingredients or discrepancies between declared and actual product weights.

Bello said responsible compliance would also protect businesses from unfair competition by operators who cut corners to reduce costs.

He urged the industry to compete on quality, efficiency, innovation and value rather than on the ability to evade consumer protection requirements.

While assuring businesses that the FCCPC would continue to engage them and provide regulatory guidance, he warned that such engagement should not be interpreted as unwillingness to enforce the law.

He said the commission would take action against businesses that expose consumers to unsafe products, engage in deceptive practices, disregard applicable standards or violate consumer rights.

Bello challenged bakery operators to review their operations from the sourcing of ingredients through production, labelling, distribution and complaint handling.

“If I knew everything about how this product was made, would I confidently serve it to my own family?” he asked, urging operators to use the question as a practical test of their safety and compliance standards.

He said consumer confidence could only be sustained when products matched their descriptions, quantities corresponded with what was advertised and businesses accepted responsibility when problems occurred.