Foods and Nutrition · Lesson 12

Consumer rights and agencies, labels, food budgeting, purchasing and bulk buying, catering enterprise and work ethics

WAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

WAEC: Consumer education (meaning, importance, consumer rights and responsibilities, consumer agents and agencies, laws, labels); Food budgeting (meaning, factors, steps); Food purchasing (principles, places, bulk buying: advantages and disadvantages); Self-employment and entrepreneurship in foods (terms, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, setting up a catering enterprise, factors for…

NECO: Consumer education (meaning, importance, consumer rights and responsibilities, consumer agents and agencies, laws, labels); Food budgeting (meaning, factors, steps); Food purchasing (principles, places, bulk buying: advantages and disadvantages); Self-employment and entrepreneurship in foods (terms, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, setting up a catering enterprise, factors for…

What you will learn

Explain consumer education and its importance.
State consumer rights and responsibilities.
Describe consumer agents and agencies in Nigeria and how to complain.
Interpret food labels and date marks.
Prepare and evaluate a food budget.
Apply principles of food purchasing, including bulk buying.
Explain self-employment and the steps in setting up a catering business.
Cost and price food products and calculate break-even.
Describe good work ethics in food businesses.

Key points

Consumer education and its importance.
Eight consumer rights and responsibilities.
Consumer agencies and how to complain.
Labels, date marks and food laws.
Food budgeting: factors and steps.
Food purchasing principles and places.
Bulk buying: pros, cons and guidelines.
Quality points when buying food.
Self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Setting up a catering business.
Costing, break-even and records.
Work ethics in food businesses.

Start here: Consumer education: meaning and importance

A consumer is any person who buys or uses goods and services to satisfy personal or family needs. Every Nigerian is a consumer: the schoolgirl buying puff-puff at break, the mother buying tomatoes in Mile 12 market, the father paying for electricity and the family eating at a buka. Consumer education is the process of giving people the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to buy and use goods and services wisely, to know their rights and responsibilities, and to protect themselves from exploitation.

Why consumer education matters in Foods and Nutrition

Food takes a large share of family income in Nigeria, especially in low-income homes. Wise buying stretches the money and protects nutrition.
Safety: fake and adulterated foods (dyed palm oil, carbide-ripened fruit, expired tins re-labelled, sachet water from unregistered factories) can cause illness and death. Educated consumers recognise the warning signs.
Information overload: labels, advertisements, social-media promotions and health claims (“cures diabetes”, “burns fat”) confuse buyers. Education helps them separate facts from marketing.
Inflation and price changes: consumers who compare unit prices, plan menus and buy in season cope better.
Rights and redress: people who know how to complain, and where, are more likely to get faulty goods replaced and to push sellers towards honesty.
Sustainable living: reducing waste, choosing local and seasonal food and disposing of packaging responsibly protects the environment.

Qualities of a wise consumer

Plans purchases with a budget and a list.
Gathers information before buying (labels, prices, reviews, advice).
Compares quality and price, not price alone.
Reads and understands labels and date marks.
Keeps receipts and guarantees.
Resists impulse buying and pressure selling.
Knows consumer rights and also accepts responsibilities.
Reports unsafe or fake products to the right agency.

Sources of consumer information

Food labels; consumer agencies (FCCPC, NAFDAC, SON); consumer associations; extension workers and health workers; schools and Home Economics teachers; radio and television consumer programmes; reputable newspapers; manufacturers’ leaflets; experienced family members. Advertisements are also a source but are designed to sell, so they must be judged critically.

Exam tip. When asked to “explain the importance of consumer education”, give a point and then a short reason or example. “It protects health, because consumers learn to check the NAFDAC number and expiry date” scores better than a list of single words.

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Practice questions

1. Consumer education helps people to

buy and use goods wisely and know their rights
sell goods at higher prices
avoid all taxes
advertise products

Show answer

A: buy and use goods wisely and know their rights
Knowledge, skills, attitudes.

2. The right to fair settlement of a genuine complaint is the right to

choice
be heard
safety
redress

Show answer

D: redress
Refund, replacement or compensation.

3. The FCCPC was established by the

Land Use Act 1978
CAMA 2020
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018
NAFDAC Act 1993

Show answer

C: Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018
Replaced the Consumer Protection Council.

4. The agency that registers packaged foods in Nigeria is

FCCPC
NAFDAC
SON
CAC

Show answer

B: NAFDAC
Products carry a NAFDAC number.

5. MANCAP and SONCAP are schemes of the

Standards Organisation of Nigeria
NAFDAC
FCCPC
CBN

Show answer

A: Standards Organisation of Nigeria
Product certification.

Key words

Consumer: Person who buys or uses goods and services.
Consumer education: Learning to buy and use goods wisely and know one’s rights.
Redress: Fair settlement of a complaint.
FCCPC: Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
NAFDAC: Regulator of food, drugs and related products.
SON: Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
Use by: Safety date on perishable food.
Best before: Quality date.
Food budget: Plan for spending food money.
Unit price: Price per gram, litre or item.
Bulk buying: Buying large quantities at once.
Impulse buying: Unplanned buying on the spot.

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