The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, has revealed that unsafe food leads to nearly 50 million illnesses and over 53,000 deaths each year in Nigeria. He made this known on Monday in Abuja during the 2026 World Food Safety Day event, themed 'From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.'
Food safety as a national priority
Salako described food safety as a critical national development priority with far-reaching effects on public health, productivity, economic growth, and the well-being of Nigerians. He noted that foodborne diseases result in approximately 4.26 million years of healthy life lost annually due to illness, disability, and premature death across the country.
Children under five most affected
'Most of this burden falls heavily on children under five, who account for more than 80 per cent of all foodborne disease burdens in Nigeria,' Salako stated. He emphasized that the true cost of unsafe food is measured not only in sickness and death but also in lost cognitive, physical, and developmental potential.
Global context and WHO estimates
Salako said the situation reflects a broader global challenge, citing updated estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicating that unsafe food causes about 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths worldwide annually. Africa carries the highest per-capita burden, with children under five disproportionately affected globally.
Major pathogens and chemical hazards
The minister reported that over 40 million diarrhoeal illnesses in Nigeria are linked to foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and rotavirus. These infections remain major causes of hospitalization, malnutrition, and mortality among children. Additionally, chemical hazards like lead exposure from contaminated grains, spices, and water sources contribute significantly to illness, disability, and premature death.
Progress and challenges
Salako acknowledged notable progress in strengthening food safety systems through coordinated national efforts and institutional collaboration. Nigeria's 2023 Joint External Evaluation showed measurable improvements across food safety indicators, and the 2025 State Party Annual Report exceeded WHO regional targets. Nigeria is now among leading Sub-Saharan African countries with functional systems for detecting, reporting, and responding to foodborne disease outbreaks.
The National Food Safety Management Committee has enhanced multi-sectoral collaboration, and surveillance guidelines have improved national response mechanisms. However, Salako warned against complacency: 'These achievements must not lead to complacency. We must improve food safety practices in traditional and informal markets.'
Call for stronger surveillance and compliance
He called for stronger surveillance of heavy metals and chemical contaminants, improved sanitation infrastructure, enhanced laboratory capacity, and stricter compliance with food safety standards. Salako stressed that food safety extends beyond preventing infections and is critical to addressing hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases linked to diets.
National initiatives on healthy food
Nigeria has developed National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction aligned with WHO benchmarks and is finalizing regulations on sodium content in processed foods. The country is also implementing trans-fat elimination regulations, making it one of Africa's earliest adopters of WHO-recommended limits on industrial trans fats. Additionally, the government is strengthening sugar-sweetened beverage taxation and developing front-of-pack food labelling systems to support healthier consumer choices.
'These actions demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that food in Nigeria is not only safe, but also healthy,' Salako said.
Appeal to industries and citizens
He urged industries to reformulate products, reduce unhealthy ingredients, improve traceability, and maintain accurate labelling. He also encouraged research on emerging food hazards and appealed to Nigerians to adopt safer food handling practices, reduce consumption of excessively salty and sugary foods, and embrace healthier dietary lifestyles.
'As we commemorate World Food Safety Day 2026, let us remember that food safety is everyone's business. It saves lives, strengthens our economy and protects our children. Together, we can build a Nigeria where every household, every market and every community can confidently say: the food on our table is safe,' he added.
World Food Safety Day is observed annually on 7 June to raise awareness and inspire action against foodborne risks.
