In business, trust is everything. You can have the finest products, the most efficient systems, and the best marketing in the world, but if people cannot trust that what you sell is safe, the foundation collapses. That is exactly the danger we face with the creeping crisis of chemical residues in food.
This is not a rare or distant problem. Across farms, markets, and store shelves, food is increasingly carrying traces of pesticides, preservatives, and additives in quantities that threaten human health. Many of these substances have legitimate roles when applied within safe limits. But when there is no effective oversight to ensure those limits are respected, they become a slow and silent poison.
The unsettling truth is that this crisis was never inevitable. It is the predictable result of weak regulation and the near absence of serious enforcement. Laws exist, yes—but they are too often vague, outdated, or riddled with loopholes. Where clarity exists, action is lacking. Inspection units are underfunded, laboratories are too few, and penalties are so light that they barely qualify as an inconvenience.
When breaking the rules costs less than following them, the wrong incentives dominate. Unscrupulous producers know they can cut corners, confident that detection is rare and punishment even rarer. Over time, these unsafe practices stop being exceptions and become routine. The losers in this equation are ordinary people who assume the food on their table has been safeguarded before reaching them.
This is not only a health issue—it is a matter of economic stability and public trust. Once consumers begin to suspect that safety checks are unreliable, confidence in entire supply chains erodes. For businesses, this is devastating. Recovering a damaged reputation in the food sector is often harder than building one from scratch. And when export markets lose faith in a country’s safety standards, the economic fallout can be severe and long-lasting.
Some will say the responsibility lies with consumers to read labels carefully or opt for organic produce. That is a flawed and dangerous argument. The real protection must come upstream, before products even reach the shelves. Food safety is not a luxury or a matter of personal choice—it is a fundamental right that must be guaranteed by the systems that govern production and distribution.
The path forward is not mysterious. Clear, measurable safety standards must be in place and aligned with global benchmarks. Regular and unannounced inspections must become the norm, carried out by professionals equipped with modern testing tools. Penalties for violations must be strong enough to make cutting corners a losing strategy. Transparency should be non-negotiable—contamination data must be made public to empower consumers and pressure suppliers. And those working in the food supply chain must be given continuous training on safe practices, both to prevent violations and to encourage innovation in safer methods.
Some worry that such measures will increase costs. But the reality is that the costs of inaction are far greater. Treating illnesses caused by contaminated food, cleaning up environmental damage, and repairing public trust require far more resources than prevention ever would. Safe food systems are not a drag on the economy; they are the foundation for sustainable growth, strong trade, and healthy communities.
As leaders in business, government, and civil society, we must treat this as the urgent matter it is. Every unsafe meal served is a breach of trust, a risk to health, and a step toward economic damage. We cannot afford to normalize negligence.
Chemical residue in food is a preventable crisis. The science, technology, and regulatory frameworks to eliminate it are already available. What remains is the will to act decisively and the discipline to enforce standards without compromise. The time to make food safety an unshakable priority is now before the damage becomes irreversible and the trust we lose can never be regained.
Samuel Jekeli, a human resources professional, writes from Abuja.
