Nigerians have been cautioned against the dangers of keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days by the National Agency for Food, Drugs and Administration and Control, NAFDAC. The warning was given recently in a statement by Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General, NAFDAC, signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola. In the statement, the DG, disclosed that cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days will be exposed to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, leading to foodborne diseases that can lead to death.
The statement read in part, “She (NAFDAC FG) 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 food borne diseases that can lead to death.” Adedeye appealed to stakeholders in the food supply chain to take conscious efforts to create a food safety culture in their operations, to minimise food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety, recently at the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme, “Food safety: Prepare for the unexpected.”
Urging all, including producers and consumers to play their part in ensuring food safety, the DG said that food safety is not only important for public health, but also for economic development. She asked the people to stay true to the statements, “food safety is everyone’s business” and “food safety is a shared responsibility”, at the marking of this year’s World Food Safety Day. According to her, “Working together, we will continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness and preparedness for the unexpected.” An estimated 600 million people, almost one in 10 in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life yearly, according to WHO report.
