The Nigerian Institute of Food, Science, and Technology (NIFST) on Wednesday called for the use of appropriate technologies in food processing and preservation to tackle hunger, wastage, and enhance economic development.

Mr. Frederick Popoola, the Chairman of the NIFST Lagos Chapter, made the call during the 46th NIFST Day 2022 and the sixth Victoria Ojo Memorial Schools Debate held at Ikeja.

The theme of the event was “The Role of Food Processing and Preservation in National Development”.

He said that food processing and preservation played an integral part in ensuring that food does not go to waste, hence, the need to create more awareness among Nigerians.

The chairman said that asides from food wastage If people consumed food that was not well preserved and processed the likelihood of people falling ill or having food poisoning was high.

Popoola said: When a crop is not properly processed, losses take place and economic returns of farmers are reduced.

” Inadequate processing results in poor storage and the less productive we have the more hunger and poverty spread in the country.

“It is essential for us to adopt the required technologies for the storage and preservation of food, “he said.

Speaking on the challenges of the institute, he solicited more support from the government in terms of favorable policies that would back their activities.

” We need more recognition from the government and we want to be carried along in anything they are doing in terms of foods so that we can assist them to achieve their goals.

On the inter-school debate competition, Popoola said that the significance of the debates was to help students both at the secondary and tertiary levels understand essential critical thinking and presentation skills.

He said that it was also held to immortalize one of the late members of the institute Victoria Ojo.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that six schools under the Lagos Chapter participated in the debate.

The schools include Mainland Senior Secondary School, Fadeyi; Oke-Odo Senior High School, and King Ado Senior High School.

Others are Oregun Senior High School, A.U.D Comprehensive Senior College, Ota, and Ikorodu Senior High School.

King Ado Senior High School came first in the debate competition, while Oke-Odo Senior High School came second and Ikorodu Senior High School came third.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth positions went to Oregun Senior High School, A.U.D Comprehensive Senior College, and Mainland Senior High School respectively.