Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Food Security Group

All along the supply chain for tomatoes and Green Leafy Vegetables (GLVs) in Nigeria, there are increasing concern about food safety. In 2022, RSM2SNF carried out a perception study in Nigeria to understand stakeholder perceptions about the country’s food systems and particularly about the subsectors of fish and vegetables. This survey found evidence of a clear preference for efforts to bring down food prices rather than improve food safety such as monitoring of food system actors and the provision of hygiene-related infrastructure.

While the focus on food affordability is not surprising in a context of high food prices and low food security, the study highlighted the need for greater sensitization around the importance of food safety and hygiene, which are pressing concerns in Nigeria (Wineman and Liverpool-Tasie, 2022). In 2022, RSM2SNF also conducted a reconnaissance (or “lay of the land”) survey of the tomatoes and GLV supply chain in Nigeria1. The rapid reconnaissance revealed numerous challenges associated with 1 The rapid reconnaissance was a systematic qualitative data collection from interviews with actors operating at different selected nodes of a value chains to understand their input sourcing, production and marketing strategies food safety all along the vegetable value chain. The majority of these issues were not highlighted as concerns by the actors but noted from description of practices and observed environment of operations. Thus, this manual has been developed to serve as a reference guide for the inclusion of food safety practices and considerations in the tomato and GLV value chain in Nigeria to improve the ability of this value chain to offer Nigerian consumers safe food. It is important to note that all players in the supply chain have a role to play and must share a common goal to ensure safe food at all segments of the chain.