The Federal Government announced a comprehensive strategy to curb food contamination, adulteration and unsafe processing practices that are blamed for an estimated 50 million food‑borne illnesses and 53,000 deaths in Nigeria. The plan, unveiled in Abuja on Tuesday, will tighten enforcement of food‑safety laws and involve the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney‑General in prosecuting offenders.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh warned that anyone found producing or selling contaminated food faces between six months and two years’ imprisonment. He said the measures are designed to protect Nigerians from the growing dangers of unsafe food and to hold those responsible for violations accountable.
Udeh cited a World Health Organization report released in June that recorded 866 million people worldwide suffering food‑borne illnesses in 2021, resulting in 1.52 million deaths, including 143 000 children under five. The report also estimated the global economic burden of food‑borne diseases at $310 billion and identified more than 200 diseases linked to unsafe food, from diarrhoea to cancer.
He recalled recent tragedies that underscored the urgency of the reforms: five members of a family in Kogi State died in August 2026 after eating fufu made from contaminated cassava flour, and 49 people in Ondo State died in September after consuming locally prepared alcoholic and herbal drinks tainted with methanol.
Mrs Veronica Ezeh, Registrar of the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFoST), praised the government’s initiative and highlighted the harmful practices she has warned about. She listed:
- Artificial ripening of fruits with calcium carbide
- Use of dichlorvos (Sniper) on beans and grains
- Paracetamol to tenderise meat
- Detergents and bleaching agents in cassava processing
- Adulteration of palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV dye
“These practices have contributed to increasing cases of liver cirrhosis, kidney diseases, cancer and damage to other vital organs,” Ezeh said.
To address the problem, the registrar outlined several measures, including strict enforcement of Sections 243 to 245 of the Criminal Code Act, the creation of a Food Science and Technology Professional Cadre across federal, state and local governments, promotion of new technologies in food safety, and the introduction of sealing and packaging requirements for food products. She also announced a forthcoming stakeholders’ conference and plans to mobilise regulatory agencies to adopt the NiCFoST Food Safety Procedure Manual launched last year.
Ezeh emphasized the need to deploy qualified food‑science professionals nationwide, noting that more than 3,000 graduates are produced annually in Nigeria. “Deploying these professionals across all tiers of government will improve surveillance, strengthen compliance with food‑safety standards and help prevent the circulation of contaminated and adulterated food products,” she said.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
