Kano consumer council to conduct compulsory HIV test on restaurant staff

The Kano Consumer Protection Council (CPC) says it will carry out compulsory test for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis on staff members of restaurants, eateries, and other food processing industries in the state.

Bappa Dan-Agundi, the council’s acting managing director, who disclosed this to reporters on Thursday, said the tests would commence in March 2021.

He said the move was to ensure that Kano is free of contaminated consumables capable of affecting public health.

“All food producing companies must obtain health certificates to ensure that their staff do not have tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases that could be transmitted to people,” he said.

“Also, this health certification will be extended to eateries. All management of eateries must ensure their staff are medically certified and free from the diseases I mentioned earlier.”

Dan-Agundi regretted that many residents had contracted infections through contaminated foods from vendors, and gave the assurance that the council would not hesitate to shut down outlets that compromise standards and regulations.

He added that a record of all operators in the food distribution and production industry would be captured and that registration would be free.

The acting director recalled that since taking over as acting managing director less than two months ago, the council had confiscated over seven trucks of counterfeit drugs, worth N300 million.

He also noted the collaboration enjoyed from the Kano patent medicine association, which had assisted the council to recover another two trucks of illicit drugs, worth N100 million.

“We will lock down any company found violating our operation guidelines,” the acting managing director added.