The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, has advised Nigerians to abstain from keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
This was made known in a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, on Tuesday.
The agency warned 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.
Parts of the statement read: “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 foodborne diseases that can lead to death.”
Speaking at the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme, ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’, the DG appealed to stakeholders in the food supply chain to take conscious efforts to create a food safety culture in their operations to minimize food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.
She noted that food safety is not only important for public health but also for economic development, adding that everyone from producers to consumers must play their part to ensure food safety.
“Let us all stay true to the statements ‘food safety is everyone’s business’ and ‘food safety is a shared responsibility’ as we mark this year’s World Food Safety Day.
“Working together, we will continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness and preparedness for the unexpected,” she said.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 600 million – almost one in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.