Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has advised Nigerians to avoid keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
Adeyeye cautioned that cooked food stored for prolonged periods in the refrigerator is prone to contamination by pathogens that cause foodborne diseases, which can be fatal.
This warning was issued in a statement on Tuesday, signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.
Adeyeye made these remarks in commemoration of the 2024 World Food Safety Day, themed ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’. She urged all stakeholders in the food supply chain to proactively adopt a culture of food safety in their operations to mitigate risks and hazards that could compromise food quality and safety.
World Food Safety Day, observed annually on June 7, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to raise awareness and promote efforts to prevent, detect, and address public health risks associated with unsafe food.
The statement partially read, “She urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days, warning that cooked food stored for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.”
Adeyeye emphasized that food safety is crucial not only for public health but also for economic development and food security.
She noted that food safety is a collective responsibility, adding that everyone from producers to consumers needs to play their part to ensure food safety.
According to Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the campaign seeks to enhance global food safety awareness, bolstering efforts to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks worldwide by emphasizing the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents.
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“Let us all uphold 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. By working together, we can continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness, and preparedness for the unexpected,” she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 600 million people—almost one in ten globally—fall ill after consuming contaminated food, with 420,000 deaths annually, leading to the loss of 33 million healthy life years.
WHO also reports that $110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses due to unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.
Additionally, Mrs. Eva Edwards, Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, warned that while foodborne diseases are costly, they are preventable. Edwards highlighted the dual nature of food as essential for human life but also a potential source of harm if not properly handled.
He emphasized that an effective food safety emergency response must be based on a multisectoral, collaborative, and integrated one-health approach.
This approach should involve the health, agriculture, and environment sectors, all levels of government, and include relevant external partners and non-governmental organizations.
‘’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.
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