FG Declares War on Food Poisoning, Says 53,000 Die Yearly

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The federal government has pledged to strengthen enforcement of food safety laws and professional regulation, following warnings that foodborne illnesses claim more than 53,000 lives annually in Nigeria. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, made the commitment in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFoST), held to commemorate the World Science Day for Peace and Development themed ‘Common Ground through Science Diplomacy’. Citing the World Health Organisation, Dr. Udeh said about 866 million people worldwide suffer foodborne illnesses yearly, leading to 1.552 million deaths, including 143,000 children under five, at an economic cost of $310 billion. Unsafe food, he said, can cause more than 200 diseases. He listed widespread unsafe practices in Nigeria, including ripening fruit with calcium carbide, treating beans and grains with dichlorvos (sniper), using paracetamol to soften meat, applying detergents or bleaching agents in cassava processing, and adulterating palm oil with prohibited colours such as Sudan IV. Udeh said Nigeria produces about 3,000 food science and technology professionals annually from about 70 tertiary institutions, but their utilisation, particularly in the public service, has been constrained by the absence of an established professional cadre. He urged institutions to conclude outstanding approvals for the cadre and to engage only qualified, NiCFoST-licensed professionals. He said the priority is now effective implementation, noting “We have the laws, we have the structures, we have the framework, but we have to translate this to action.” He also drew attention to Sections 243 to 245 of the Criminal Code Act, which prescribe six months to two years imprisonment for offences involving harmful food, diseased meat and contaminated water. To strengthen coordination, the minister announced plans to convene a high-level National Food System Stakeholders Meeting within the next one or two months, saying “Hold me accountable to making this happen.” Corroborating the Minister, the Registrar of NiCFoST, Mrs. Veronica Ezeh, warned that consumers are unknowingly buying food laced with dangerous chemicals, particularly red palm oil adulterated with Sudan IV dye to make it look richer and more attractive. Speaking at the briefing, Mrs. Ezeh demonstrated how the dye deepens the colour of palm oil, making adulterated oil almost indistinguishable from genuine oil. She said the same dye is also added to Bambara nut products used in preparing moi-moi, especially when traders lack enough palm oil to achieve the desired colour. She said some traders know the practice is wrong but continue for financial gain, operating secretly while unsuspecting consumers purchase the contaminated products. Ezeh also raised concerns over the chemical treatment of fruits to accelerate ripening, washing fruits in potentially contaminated water, and the open display of garri in markets, which she said exposes food to dust, human saliva, rodents and other hazards. She warned that food contaminated by rodents carrying Lassa fever could expose consumers to infection, while poor handling and storage could facilitate cholera and other foodborne diseases, with unsafe food causing illnesses ranging from diarrhoea to cancer and, in severe cases, death. “The solution to curb food safety practices in Nigeria is to allow the professionals to do their work. That is the missing link in food safety in Nigeria,” she said, insisting monitoring must begin from the source of raw materials. Ezeh advocated improved packaging for locally processed foods, particularly garri, urging traders to seal products in clean nylon bags instead of exposing them openly in markets. She stressed that effective government regulation, not individual tests by buyers, must guarantee safety, citing the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, which assigns local governments responsibilities for markets and public health regulation. She therefore urged the three tiers of government to deploy trained food science and technology officers to local government areas to monitor production, processing and sales, and restore public confidence in food safety.