53,000 Nigerians die from foodborne illnesses annually – FG

The Ministry of Health on Monday said Nigeria records nearly 50 million cases of foodborne illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths annually. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this in Abuja during a press briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Food Safety Day. He urged food manufacturers to reformulate […]

The Ministry of Health on Monday said Nigeria records nearly 50 million cases of foodborne illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths annually.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this in Abuja during a press briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Food Safety Day.
He urged food manufacturers to reformulate their products by reducing salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, while improving hygiene standards, traceability and transparency in labelling to tackle the growing burden of food-related illnesses in Nigeria.
He said that children under the age of five account for over 80 per cent of the country’s foodborne disease burden, warning that unsafe food is undermining the health, development, and future productivity of millions of Nigerian children.
According to him, more than 40 million diarrhoeal illnesses in the country are linked to foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and rotavirus, while chemical contaminants, including lead, are emerging as significant public health threats.
The minister said food safety should no longer be viewed solely as a technical issue but as a national health security and development priority.
He said beyond preventing infections, food safety must also address the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, which are linked to excessive consumption of sodium, sugar and trans fats.
Salako disclosed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had finalised draft sodium reduction regulations for processed foods, while Nigeria was already implementing regulations to eliminate industrial trans fats in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.
He added that the government was also strengthening the sugar-sweetened beverage tax and developing front-of-pack food labelling to enable consumers to make healthier choices.
The minister also urged food vendors and business operators to comply with national food safety standards, while calling on development partners, researchers and the media to support efforts aimed at improving surveillance, public awareness and food safety practices.
He said Nigeria had made significant progress in strengthening its food safety systems, but warned that the latest global estimates on foodborne diseases underscored the need for sustained action across the entire food value chain.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said that strengthening food safety systems remains critical to reducing the country’s burden of foodborne diseases.
Represented by Eva Edwards, the agency’s Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Adeyeye said NAFDAC remained committed to reducing foodborne diseases through science-based regulation, effective surveillance, strengthened food control systems and robust stakeholder engagement.
She added, “Our efforts continue to focus on ensuring that foods manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, advertised, sold and consumed in Nigeria meet acceptable standards of safety and quality.”
Meanwhile, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa called for stronger regulatory measures to address the growing burden of diet-related diseases in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Monday to commemorate the 2026 World Food Safety Day, CAPPA warned that millions of Nigerians were increasingly exposed to health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and ultra-processed foods.
CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said, “Food safety is not only about preventing food poisoning. It is also about ensuring that the foods and drinks available to Nigerians do not slowly undermine their health and wellbeing.”
He warned that weak regulatory safeguards and aggressive marketing of unhealthy products were contributing to rising cases of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, kidney disease and certain cancers.