The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
According to the agency, 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.
Food safety incidents are situations where there is a potential or confirmed health risk associated with food consumption. A food incident can happen, for example, due to accidents, inadequate controls, food fraud, or natural events.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye tasked all stakeholders in the food supply chain to take deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate the food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.
The DG spoke at the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme: ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the unexpected, where she emphasised that food safety is a collective responsibility, and the need for everyone, from producers to consumers, to play their part to ensure that the food we eat is safe.
According to the DG in a statement by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola on Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally, one in 10 people fall ill, and 420,000 die each year due to consuming contaminated food. This results in the loss of 33 million healthy life years, with children under five and other vulnerable groups in poorer regions being disproportionately affected.
NAN
