Nigerians are advised by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) not to refrigerate cooked food for longer than three days.
The caution was delivered during a speech by NAFDAC Director General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye at the 2024 World Food Safety Day, which has as its theme “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected.”
She claims that cooked food that has been kept in the fridge for several days is prone to contamination by microorganisms that cause illness, which are significant contributors to potentially deadly foodborne illnesses.
Adeyeye underlined that everyone has a responsibility to ensure food safety, from producers to consumers, and that each of us must do our part to ensure the safety of the food we eat.
In a statement provided to the DG on Tuesday, Sayo Akintola, the agency’s resident media consultant, stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that eating contaminated food causes 420,000 deaths and one in ten illnesses worldwide each year.
Adeyeye stressed that everyone has a responsibility to play from the farm to the table to ensure that the food we consume is safe and won’t harm our health. She noted that food safety is not only crucial for public health but also a sine qua non for economic development and food security.
She continued by saying that in honour of World Food Safety Day in 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) will be questioning all parties involved in the food supply chain about their readiness to handle unforeseen risks to food safety in a world food supply that is becoming more interconnected by the day.
She states that although legislators, food safety agencies, farmers, and food business owners must work hard to be prepared to handle food safety problems, consumers should also take a highly active part.
She did, however, reiterate that the National Integrated Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Response are helpful for being ready for and responding quickly to emerging and reemerging foodborne diseases. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has developed programmes for the elimination, eradication, prevention, and control of diseases.
She posed a challenge to all parties involved, including regulators, specialists, manufacturers, distributors, processors, retailers, eateries, and customers, asking them to think carefully about whether they are really ready for anything unexpected.
As we commemorate this year’s World Food Safety Day, let us all uphold the maxims, “Food safety is everyone’s business and a shared responsibility.” Together, we will keep bolstering our system for ensuring food safety, making sure it is resilient, strong, and ready for anything that may come up,” she continued.
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