The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned Nigerians against keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, gave this warning in a statement released on Tuesday, signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.
Adeyeye highlighted this issue in observance of the 2024 World Food Safety Day, themed ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected,’ calling for stakeholders in the food supply chain to adopt a food safety culture to reduce hazards and risks.
She emphasized that prolonged storage of cooked food can lead to contamination by pathogens, which are primary causes of foodborne illnesses and can be fatal.
World Food Safety Day, celebrated annually on June 7, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to enhance awareness and promote measures to prevent, detect, and address health risks associated with unsafe food.
The statement mentioned, “She however, urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days, warning that cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.”
Adeyeye pointed out that food safety is crucial not only for public health but also for economic growth and food security. She stressed that ensuring food safety is a collective responsibility, requiring efforts from both producers and consumers.
The campaign, according to her, aims to raise global awareness about food safety, strengthening efforts to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks by emphasizing the need to be prepared for unexpected food safety incidents.
“Let us all stay true to the statements ‘food safety is everyone’s business’ and ‘food safety is a shared responsibility’ as we celebrate this year’s World Food Safety Day. Working together, we will continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness, and preparedness for the unexpected,” Adeyeye said.
The World Health Organization estimates that around 600 million people worldwide, nearly one in 10, fall ill after consuming contaminated food, with 420,000 deaths annually, leading to a loss of 33 million healthy life years.
WHO also reported that unsafe food costs low- and middle-income countries $110 billion annually in lost productivity and medical expenses.
Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs Eva Edwards, also highlighted the high costs of foodborne diseases, which are preventable.
She underscored the essential nature of food for human life and the potential harm if it is not handled correctly.
Edwards called for a multisectoral, collaborative, integrated one-health approach to food safety emergency responses, involving health, agriculture, environment sectors, government tiers, and external partners including NGOs.
“Let’s all play our part in promoting the culture of good hygiene practices in our homes, communities, and food establishments. Together we can ensure a safer and healthier food supply for everyone,” she noted.
