COMMUNIQUE FROM THE 49TH SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HELD ON 20TH – 24TH OCTOBER, 2025; AT DE PEACE HOTEL & SUITE, ILORIN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

The theme for 2025 Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology is Next-Generation Food Science and Technology Solutions for Nation’s Building.

The Conference recognised that there are diverse challenges affecting sustainable food systems in Nigeria which cut across production, processing, distribution, accessibility, consumption, post-harvest losses and wastes, and all other interconnected elements that influence them. The problem of high population in Nigeria also worsens the food inadequacy as our population has been estimated to be about 235 million in 2025. All these challenges currently have negative impact on our capacity to meet the food needs of our people. In order to surmount these challenges now and in the future, the next-generation Food Science and Technology must find solutions to them. Other observations and recommendations made are as follows:

(1) The Conference was of the view that the major approach in finding solutions to challenges facing sustainable food systems is through technological innovations. Such innovations must have the capacity to provide food security and nutrition for the population.

(2) The technological innovations for attaining sustainable food systems must also have the capacity to achieve the following:

(a) Environmental sustainability such as the use of solar-powered irrigation, renewable energy for processing, and biodegradable packaging to lower carbon footprint, among others.

(b) Economic sustainability such as provision of local food hub and circular bio-economy models (e.g. turning wastes to wealth).

(c) Social sustainability such as the development of community-based food preservation techniques to reduce post-harvest losses.

(3) The Conference was able to identify diverse areas to which solutions must be sought by next-generation Food Science and Technology towards attaining sustainable food systems in the country. These identified areas include:

(a) Innovations in food processing.

Examples are non-thermal and energy-efficient processing; valorization and bioconversion of food wastes; precision fermentation and mixed microbial biorefineries; process intensification and circular biorefineries, among others.

(b) Innovations in food preservation and shelf-life extension.

Examples are active and intelligent biodegradable packaging; hurdle technology; low-energy cooling and solar refrigeration, among others.

(c) Innovations in food safety and traceability.

Examples are on-site rapid diagnostics and sensor systems; digital traceability; predictive microbiology and digital twins, among others.

(4) The Conference suggested that a Technology Roadmap needs to be proposed to the federal government with respect to the attainment of sustainable food systems for short-, medium-, and long-terms. The short-term will essentially involve rapid deployment of innovations and pilots; medium-term will involve scale-up and value addition while the long-term will involve system transformation.

(5) Other areas identified by the Conference to which technological innovations are to be applied include the following:

(a) Front-of-package-labeling (FOPL) and nutritional profiling.

Currently, Nigeria does not have a model for FOPL system and so the next-generation Food Science and Technology must work towards developing this type of model taking into consideration all stakeholders and it must also align with the cultural values of the people.

(b) Large-scale food fortification. This is a way of solving micronutrient deficiency in the society. The target micronutrients include vitamin A, iron, zinc, folate and vitamin B12. The use of an appropriate fortification vehicle could determine the success of such large-scale fortification. Therefore, the next-generation Food Science and Technology must be part of the solution to micronutrient deficiency in the society.

(c) The use of biotechnology to revolutionise food systems for enhanced public health. This is a way of using biotechnology as a pathway to overcome agricultural challenges and improve public health in Nigeria. Therefore, the next-generation Food Science and Technology must be involved in biotechnological innovations so as to overcome the various identified challenges within our food systems.

(6) The Conference was also of the view that an enabling business environment must be created by the government which could

facilitate innovation-driven food security in the country. However, this is only achievable if certain indicators are right including access to funding, power availability, stable and transparent policy, among others.

(7) The Conference also deliberated on the catalytic roles which our youths could play in driving innovations towards sustainable food systems. The youths are generally regarded as leaders of tomorrow and therefore must be ready to learn, re-learn and unlearn through mentorship which can lead to enhanced creativity.

(8) The Conference also observed that the technological innovations emanating from the next-generation Food Science and Technology could be used to facilitate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the government (state or federal) thereby making the government an enabler in the attainment of sustainable food systems.

(9) The Conference also examined the use of an innovative idea such as blockchain technology by the next-generation Food Science and Technology towards the attainment of sustainable food systems. Blockchain technology is an internet-related operations which can be used to facilitate food quality assurance and food supply chain management system.

(10) Finally, the Conference considered the importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Technology (DT) in the attainment of sustainable food systems in Nigeria. It was concluded that the next-generation Food Science and Technology must tap into technological innovations that revolve around AI and DT due to their multifaceted applications in the food system space.

These include relevance in digital marketing, food supply chain, precision agriculture and smart farming, smart food processing and post-harvest management, among others.