Urban development, food consumption and health in Ado Ekiti, Southwest Nigeria

Omotosho Babatunde, University of Ado-Ekiti
Okafor Emeka

The proliferation of food industries across cities in Nigeria with its attendant health implications necessitated the establishment of a food and drug regulatory body (NAFDAC). This study examined the practise of consumers towards observing selected NAFDAC-labelled foods and its implication on their health in Ado Ekiti south west Nigeria. The study adopted quantitative and qualitative methods in gathering 760 questionnaires, 48 IDI and 14 KII sessions. Findings revealed that 71.6% of the respondents were not observing the labels on selected products regularly before consumption. The IDI conducted attributed this to religious beliefs, literacy level and lack of trust on food labels. Health implications include diarrhoea and stomach upset. A majority of the respondents have devised ways of ascertaining the safety of the food products; 49.5% considered quality and 12.6% considered brand names. In depth interview further revealed that local norms, religious beliefs, significant others influenced respondents’ practices about the labels.