Food Packaging in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities for the Food Industry

Food-packaging is an important facet of any food industry. It not only provides some protection from harmful agents, but also allows that food to be preserved for longer periods of time. Nigeria is attempting to develop many of these processes.

Significance of Packaging

• As opposed to North America and Europe, West Africa - home to Nigeria - and other developing regions still struggle with food-packaging technologies. This is evident in the amount of food products lost after harvest. Some estimate these losses as being around half of the overall agricultural yield each year.

Effects of Financing

• Nigeria now welcomes several large-scale food corporations that are helping in the development of new techniques in preservation and packaging. These business relationships offer increased potential for those skills and procedures to be taught to local producers through the influence of "national and international financing." Some of these active companies include Hershey, Cadbury and Guinness.

Features of Training Programs

• The University of Nigeria, as well as other academic institutions, offer training programs in food science. They provide courses in the sciences and technology, seeking to equip the next generation with innovative approaches to issues like food-packaging. The focus of these programs is not only on food-service industries and advanced preservation, but also on the effect these methods deliver upon the environment.