The Federal Government has raised concern over the growing public health burden of unsafe food, disclosing that food-borne diseases are responsible for nearly 50 million illnesses and over 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made this known in Abuja……
The Federal Government has raised concern over the growing public health burden of unsafe food, disclosing that food-borne diseases are responsible for nearly 50 million illnesses and over 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made this known in Abuja during the commemoration of World Food Safety Day 2026, themed “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.”
This was contained in a statement by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, Ado Bako, on Monday, June 8.
Salako said children under the age of five bear the heaviest burden, accounting for more than 80 per cent of food-borne disease cases in the country.
He added that over 40 million cases of diarrhoea illnesses are linked to food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and Rotavirus.
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“Food safety is not merely a technical issue; it is a national development priority. The true cost of unsafe food is measured not only in sickness and death but in the lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential of our children,” he said.
The minister noted that Nigeria has recorded improvements in its food safety governance systems, citing the country’s 2025 State Party Annual Report (SPAR) score of Level 3, which he said places Nigeria ahead of World Health Organization benchmarks for low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He explained that the establishment of the National Food Safety Management Committee, as well as the 2023 National Integrated Guidelines for Food-borne Disease Surveillance and Response, had strengthened outbreak detection, laboratory confirmation, food recall systems and risk communication nationwide.
Salako also outlined ongoing policy interventions aimed at promoting healthier diets and reducing non-communicable diseases, including sodium reduction guidelines, trans-fat elimination regulations, efforts to strengthen sugar-sweetened beverage taxation, and the development of front-of-pack labelling systems.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, said food-borne diseases in Nigeria are closely tied to environmental challenges such as poor sanitation, unsafe water, pollution, climate change, and inadequate waste management practices.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, described the 2026 theme as a timely call for coordinated national action, stressing the need to integrate food safety and healthy diet policies across sectors.
She noted that protecting public health requires stronger inter-agency collaboration and commended stakeholders for efforts toward building a safer and more resilient food system.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Health Organization representative, Dr. Pindar Wakawa, described safe food as a fundamental human right and a key driver of public health and economic productivity.
He said most food-borne diseases are preventable and called for stronger action to protect children, address emerging risks such as chemical contamination, and reinforce food safety systems globally.
