FG Raises Alarm as Unsafe Food Claims Thousands of Lives Annually

(Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako. Photo by Guardian Nigeria News)

The Federal Government has raised fresh concerns over the growing burden of foodborne diseases in Nigeria, revealing that unsafe food claims more than 53,000 lives and causes nearly 50 million illnesses in the country every year.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, made the disclosure in Abuja during a ministerial press briefing to mark the 2026 World Food Safety Day, themed "From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere."

Salako described food safety as a critical national development and health security issue, warning that the true cost of unsafe food extended beyond sickness and death to the loss of human capital, particularly among children. He noted that Nigeria loses an estimated 4.26 million years of healthy life annually 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.

The minister added that children under five account for more than 80 per cent of the country's foodborne disease burden, warning that the impact of unsafe food on the cognitive, physical, and developmental potential of children must not be overlooked.

His remarks followed newly released estimates by the World Health Organisation indicating that unsafe food causes approximately 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths globally each year, with Africa bearing the highest per-capita burden.

On the leading causes, Salako said diarrhoeal diseases remain the primary driver of foodborne illnesses in Nigeria, with over 40 million cases linked to pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and rotavirus.

He also flagged growing exposure to chemical contaminants, noting that lead exposure alone is responsible for tens of thousands of healthy lives lost through contaminated grains, spices, and water sources.

Despite the grim figures, the minister acknowledged progress in building a stronger food safety system. He said Nigeria's 2023 Joint External Evaluation recorded measurable improvements across all food safety indicators, while the country's 2025 State Party Annual Report score surpassed the WHO target for low- and middle-income countries.

Salako also linked food safety to Nigeria's rising burden of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and obesity, stressing that ensuring safe food goes beyond preventing infections.

He disclosed that Nigeria has developed National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has finalised draft regulations aimed at cutting salt levels in processed foods. Efforts are also underway to eliminate industrial trans-fats and strengthen sugar-sweetened beverage taxation and front-of-pack food labelling systems.

"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," Salako said.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, echoed the call, emphasising that strengthening food safety systems remains critical to reducing the country's burden of foodborne diseases.

Represented at the event by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, Eva Edwards, Adeyeye described food safety as a public health, socioeconomic, and development imperative.

"The theme for the 2026 World Food Safety Day, 'From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere,' reminds us that food safety is not merely a technical issue; it is 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.

The NAFDAC boss said the agency remains committed to reducing foodborne diseases through stronger regulation, surveillance, and stakeholder engagement, adding that its efforts are focused on ensuring that foods manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, advertised, sold, and consumed in Nigeria meet acceptable standards of safety and quality.

Adeyeye stressed that safe food is central to achieving the country's nutrition and health goals, warning that nutritional objectives cannot be met where food is unsafe. She called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, industry players, researchers, development partners, and consumers to address the country's food safety challenges.

Meanwhile, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) used the occasion to call for stronger regulatory measures to address the growing burden of diet-related diseases in Nigeria.

The organisation warned that millions of Nigerians are increasingly exposed to health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, and ultra-processed foods, arguing that food safety must extend beyond contamination concerns to include protection against products that drive non-communicable diseases.

CAPPA Executive Director, Oluwafemi Akinbode, said weak regulatory safeguards and aggressive marketing of unhealthy products are fuelling rising cases of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, kidney disease, and certain cancers, placing a growing burden on families, the healthcare system, and the broader economy.

"Public health policies must be guided by science and the public interest, not by industries whose profitability depends on unhealthy consumption patterns," he stated.

CAPPA welcomed the Senate's recent passage of a bill seeking to strengthen Nigeria's Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax regime, describing it as a critical step toward reducing excessive sugar consumption and curbing non-communicable diseases.

The organisation also urged the Federal Government to adopt national sodium reduction targets, implement front-of-pack warning labelling on packaged foods and beverages, and tighten restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

World Food Safety Day is observed annually to raise awareness and drive action on food-related risks. The 2026 edition marks the eighth global observance of the event.

While food safety discussions have traditionally centred on microbial contamination and foodborne disease outbreaks, public health experts are increasingly spotlighting the role of unhealthy diets in driving non-communicable diseases.

Nigerian authorities have intensified efforts to strengthen food safety governance through various initiatives, including sodium reduction programmes, industrial trans-fat elimination regulations, and improved food surveillance systems. Health advocates, however, continue to push for stronger nutrition-focused policies across the board.