“The World Health Organisation’s, (WHO) report showed that an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne diseases occur annually while children under age five carry 40 percent of the burden of the disease with 125,000 deaths recorded every year.”

Adeyeye said in Nigeria, there had been reoccurring food safety issues as well as emerging issues including artificial ripening of fruits using unapproved agents such as calcium carbide, which she said, could have deleterious effects on health when such fruits are consumed.

“The use of unapproved insecticides such as Sniper for the preservation of grains by unauthorized persons, the use of containers contaminated with hazardous chemicals such as fertilizer bags for grains or chemical drums and jerry cans for food storage are classic examples of a common practice among the market men and women due to ignorance.
“Unauthorised chemicals such as dichlorvos for storage of grains and other agricultural produce by unauthorized persons could lead to contamination of the stored products.

“Implicated in this practice also are exporters and dealers of agricultural commodities who spray hazardous pesticides on produce during storage to prevent damage by pests at the cost of human lives and public health. All these among other poor practices unduly expose the populace to the health risk from these contaminants,” she said.
Continuing, she listed other food safety challenges in the country to include; poor transportation, display of food products in the sun which could produce harmful by-products such as benzene in soft drinks, and use of non-food grade packaging materials, amongst others.

She also emphasized that the packaging of illicit alcohol such as spirits could lead to blindness and death, adding that the agency will continue to do routine unannounced inspections to curb these health hazards.

Source: Thisdaylive