The Federal Government has revealed that unsafe food is responsible for nearly 50 million illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen food safety systems and protect public health across the country.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this during the commemoration of the 2026 World Food Safety Day in Abuja. The event was held under the theme, “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.”
According to the minister, newly released estimates on food-borne diseases indicate that children under the age of five account for more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s food-borne disease burden. He noted that over 40 million cases of diarrhoea annually are linked to food-borne pathogens, including Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and Rotavirus.
“Food safety is not merely a technical issue; it is a national development priority. The true cost of unsafe food is measured not only in sickness and death but in the lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential of our children,” Salako said.
The minister highlighted progress made in strengthening food safety governance, noting that Nigeria’s 2025 State Party Annual Report (SPAR) score of Level 3 places the country above the World Health Organization’s food safety target for low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said initiatives such as the National Food Safety Management Committee and the 2023 National Integrated Guidelines for Food-borne Disease Surveillance and Response have enhanced disease surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory confirmation, food recall systems, and risk communication nationwide.
Salako also outlined measures being implemented to promote healthier diets and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. These include the enforcement of national sodium reduction guidelines, regulations on trans-fat elimination, efforts to strengthen taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, and the development of front-of-pack food labeling to encourage healthier consumer choices.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, said environmental factors such as poor sanitation, unsafe water, pollution, climate change, inadequate waste management, and unsafe agricultural practices continue to contribute significantly to food-borne diseases in Nigeria.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, described the theme of the celebration as a timely call to action. She stressed the need to integrate food safety and healthy diet policies as part of a unified national strategy to safeguard public health.
Representing the World Health Organization, Dr. Pindar Wakawa described safe food as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of public health, nutrition, and economic productivity. He noted that the majority of food-borne diseases are preventable and called for stronger efforts to protect children, address emerging risks such as chemical contamination, and strengthen food systems.
The WHO also commended Nigeria for its continued commitment to improving food safety through policy reforms, regulatory frameworks, and multi-sectoral partnerships.
As Nigeria joined the global community to mark World Food Safety Day 2026, stakeholders renewed their commitment to ensuring that all Nigerians have access to food that is not only available and affordable but also safe and healthy.
