admin
Iziaq Salako, minister of state for health and social welfare, says Nigeria records over 53,000 deaths due to unsafe foods annually.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at a press conference commemorating the 2026 World Food Safety Day, the minister also noted that unsafe food has been linked to nearly 50 million illnesses in a year across the country.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere.”
“Nigeria records nearly 50 million foodborne illnesses every year, and unsafe food causes more than 53,000 deaths annually in our country,” the minister said.
“Together, these illnesses and deaths result in a staggering 4.26 million years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death.
“Most of this burden falls heavily on children under five, who account for more than 80 percent of all foodborne disease burden in Nigeria.
“The true cost of unsafe food in Nigeria is not only measured in sickness and death but also in the lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential of our children.”
Salako noted that diarrhoeal diseases remain the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in Nigeria, with more than 40 million cases linked to pathogens, while warning against exposure to chemical contaminants.
“Over 40 million diarrhoeal illnesses in Nigeria are linked to foodborne pathogens. These infections continue to be a major cause of hospitalisation, malnutrition, and mortality among our youngest citizens,” he added.
“Chemical hazards are also emerging as a serious concern, with lead exposure responsible for tens of thousands of healthy lives lost through contaminated grains, spices, and water sources.”
The minister said Nigeria has made “notable progress” in building a stronger food safety system with a 2023 joint external evaluation that showed measurable improvements across all food safety indicators and a 2025 state party annual report, which indicated that the country’s score surpassed the World Health Organization (WHO) target 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 added.
Salako, however, linked food safety to Nigeria’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.
On her part, Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), noted that maintaining food safety systems is critical to reducing the country’s burden of foodborne diseases.
