🍲 Food Business

Nigerian food businesses.
From kitchen to certified supplier.

Food is Nigeria's most active informal sector — and one of the most regulated. NAFDAC registration, HACCP compliance, and formal business registration are what separate a kitchen from a certified supplier to schools, hospitals, and corporate canteens.

Register Your Food Business →← All Sectors

Compliance for Your Sector

What the law requires
for food business.

These are the specific compliance requirements that apply to your business. JUSTRA handles all of them — sequenced correctly and filed on time.

01
CAC Business Name or Ltd
The legal foundation. Required for NAFDAC registration, bank accounts, and any formal supply contract.
02
NAFDAC Registration
All food products sold in Nigeria require NAFDAC product registration. JUSTRA guides food businesses through the application process.
03
TIN and Tax Compliance
NRS TIN (CAC RC Number) and annual returns are required for all formal food supply contracts with institutions, government, and corporate buyers.
04
NSITF and Health Certification
Employer NSITF coverage and state-level food handler certification required for catering contracts.

What Formalisation Unlocks

The doors that open
when you register.

Registration is not a cost. It is an investment that opens contracts, credit, and markets your competitors cannot reach.

🏫
School Feeding Contracts
Federal and state government school feeding programmes source from NAFDAC-registered, TIN-holding, CAC-registered suppliers exclusively.
🏥
Hospital and Institution Catering
Hospitals, universities, and military institutions require NAFDAC registration and NSITF certification for all food supply contracts.
🏢
Corporate Canteen Supply
Banks, telecoms, and large corporates contract out canteen supply to registered food businesses. JUSTRA compliance opens these relationships.
🛒
Supermarket and Retail Listing
Nigerian supermarket chains — Shoprite, SPAR, Justrite — require NAFDAC product registration and formal business registration for all suppliers.
Tax Act 2025

Food Business businesses under ₦100M pay 0% Company Income Tax from January 2026.

The Nigerian Tax Act 2025 exempts small and medium enterprises from company income tax. Formalising your business now is a tax-saving decision — not just a compliance one.

Calculate Your Tax →

The Numbers

Food Business in Nigeria.
By the numbers.

1.3M+
Food businesses of all sizes across Nigeria
₦400bn
Government school feeding programme annual spend
24M
Pupils covered by UBEC school feeding schemes
100%
Of institutional food contracts require NAFDAC registration

Real Business Story

Seven years of five-star food. Three missing documents.

Caterer · 7 years · Enugu

Mama Chisom had been catering corporate events in Enugu for seven years. Her jollof was legendary in the GRA — but every time a company tried to add her to their approved vendor list, she couldn't produce a CAC certificate or TIN. She ran everything under her personal name. After JUSTRA, she was fully registered, NAFDAC-compliant for her bottled zobo and chin chin, and on the approved vendor list of three Enugu banks within six weeks.

✓Landed 3 bank corporate catering contracts; first institutional food supply relationship established

The Cost of Staying Informal

Non-compliance is not free.
It is just quietly expensive.

These are the real penalties food business businesses face for operating without proper registration and compliance.

Selling packaged food without NAFDAC registration
NAFDAC enforcement teams seize unregistered products and impose fines; repeat offences attract criminal prosecution
₦100,000+ and product seizure
No TIN — blocked from institutional supply chain
All school, hospital, and corporate catering procurement requires TIN — no exceptions
Lost contract
Late NRS annual returns
Plus 10% of unpaid tax and 21% p.a. interest; the fine applies even if no tax is owed (return still required)
₦50,000 minimum
Food handler operating without state health certificate
State environmental health officers can issue immediate closure orders on uninspected food businesses
Business closure order

JUSTRA costs less than one penalty. Plans start at ₦3,000/month. CAC registration is ₦65,000 one-time. Compare that to the real cost of a single enforcement visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions from food business.
Answered directly.

I sell jollof rice and small chops at events. Do I need NAFDAC?
NAFDAC registration applies to packaged and processed food products, not typically freshly-cooked meals served immediately at events. However, for institutional supply (hospitals, schools, corporate canteens), NAFDAC certification is required. Your state Health Department separately issues food handler permits, which apply to all food businesses including event caterers.
How long does NAFDAC registration take?
Typically 3–6 months, depending on the product category and completeness of your submission. JUSTRA helps prepare the full documentation package — product composition, labelling, facility inspection readiness — and monitors your application status throughout the process.
Can I supply the school feeding programme without CAC registration?
No. UBEC and state school feeding programmes require CAC registration, NRS TIN, and NAFDAC product registration for all packaged or processed food suppliers. These are non-negotiable requirements at both state and federal level. JUSTRA handles all three and sequences the applications correctly.
My catering business only serves individuals at events. Do I still need to register?
A CAC Business Name registration is strongly recommended to separate personal and business finances, protect your trading name, and enable professional invoicing. For corporate catering or any institutional engagement — even a single hospital event — formal registration becomes mandatory. Most event organisers now require vendor registration.

Register Your Food Business today.

JUSTRA handles your CAC registration, TIN, and full compliance setup. Start with a free compliance scan — no payment required to see where you stand.

Start Free Compliance Scan →View Pricing