By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The Federal Government has raised fresh concerns over the growing threat of foodborne diseases in Nigeria, revealing that unsafe food claims more than 53,000 lives and causes nearly 50 million illnesses annually.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a ministerial briefing to mark the 2026 World Food Safety Day, themed “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.”
Describing food safety as a critical national health security and development issue, Salako warned that the impact of unsafe food extends beyond illness and death, significantly undermining the country’s human capital, especially among children.
According to the minister, Nigeria loses an estimated 4.26 million years of healthy life annually due to foodborne diseases through illness, disability and premature death.
“Nigeria records nearly 50 million foodborne illnesses every year, and unsafe food causes more than 53,000 deaths annually in our country. Together, these illnesses and deaths result in a staggering 4.26 million years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death,” he said.
Salako noted that children under the age of five bear the brunt of the burden, accounting for more than 80 per cent of foodborne disease cases nationwide.
“The true cost of unsafe food is not only measured in sickness and death but also in the lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential of our children,” he added.
The minister’s warning followed newly released estimates by the World Health Organisation indicating that unsafe food causes about 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths globally each year, with Africa recording the highest per-capita burden.
He identified diarrhoeal diseases as the leading foodborne illness in Nigeria, attributing more than 40 million cases annually to pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and rotavirus.
“Over 40 million diarrhoeal illnesses in Nigeria are linked to foodborne pathogens. These infections remain a major cause of hospitalisation, malnutrition and mortality among our youngest citizens,” Salako said.
He also expressed concern over growing exposure to chemical contaminants, particularly lead, which he said is responsible for tens of thousands of healthy life years lost through contaminated grains, spices and water sources.
“These figures underscore the urgency of strengthening food safety systems across the entire value chain,” he stressed.
Despite the challenges, the minister said Nigeria had made significant progress in improving food safety governance. He cited gains recorded in the 2023 Joint External Evaluation and noted that the country’s 2025 State Party Annual Report score exceeded the World Health Organisation benchmark for low- and middle-income countries.
“Nigeria is now one of the leading countries in the region in establishing functional systems for detecting, reporting and responding to foodborne disease events,” he said.
Salako, however, maintained that the latest data should serve as a wake-up call, urging authorities to intensify surveillance of heavy metals and chemical contaminants, improve food safety practices in traditional markets, strengthen water and sanitation infrastructure, and enforce compliance with national food standards.
He also linked food safety to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and stroke.
“Food safety is not only about preventing infections; it is also about ensuring that the food we eat does not contribute to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases,” he said.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria had developed National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control had finalised draft regulations aimed at reducing salt levels in processed foods.
He added that the government was implementing industrial trans-fat elimination measures and strengthening policies on sugar-sweetened beverage taxation and front-of-pack food labelling to encourage healthier diets.
Calling for collective action, Salako urged manufacturers, regulators, researchers and consumers to support efforts to improve food safety nationwide.
“Food safety is everyone’s business. It saves lives, strengthens our economy and protects our children. These numbers show that food safety is not optional; it is a national health security priority,” he said.
Also speaking, Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said stronger food safety systems were essential to reducing the burden of foodborne diseases in the country.
Represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, Eva Edwards, Adeyeye described food safety as a public health, socioeconomic and development imperative.
“Behind every statistic on foodborne disease is a child, a family, a community or a business affected by preventable illness and loss,” she said.
Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to strengthening regulation, surveillance and stakeholder engagement to ensure that foods produced, imported, sold and consumed in Nigeria meet acceptable safety and quality standards.
Meanwhile, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) called for stronger regulatory measures to address the growing burden of diet-related diseases.
CAPPA Executive Director, Oluwafemi Akinbode, warned that millions of Nigerians were increasingly exposed to health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and ultra-processed foods.
“Food safety is not only about preventing food poisoning. It is also about ensuring that the foods and drinks available to Nigerians do not slowly undermine their health and well-being,” he said.
The organisation welcomed the Senate’s recent passage of a bill to strengthen Nigeria’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax regime and urged the government to adopt sodium reduction targets, front-of-pack warning labels and stricter controls on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
World Food Safety Day is observed annually to promote awareness and action on preventing, detecting and managing food-related risks. The 2026 edition marks the eighth global observance of the event.
