The Federal Government has raised alarm over the growing burden of foodborne diseases in Nigeria, revealing that unsafe food causes more than 53,000 deaths and nearly 50 million illnesses annually across the country.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a ministerial press briefing to mark the 2026 World Food Safety Day, warning that contaminated food remains a major public health threat with devastating consequences for children and national development.
Speaking on the theme, ‘From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere,’ Salako said Nigeria loses an estimated 4.26 million years of healthy life every year due to foodborne diseases through illness, disability and premature deaths.
According to him, the impact of unsafe food extends beyond mortality and hospitalisation, significantly affecting children’s growth, development and future productivity.
‘Nigeria records nearly 50 million foodborne illnesses every year, and unsafe food causes more than 53,000 deaths annually in our country. Together, these illnesses and deaths result in a staggering 4.26 million years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death,’ Salako said.
The minister noted that children under the age of five bear the greatest burden of foodborne diseases in Nigeria, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the total disease burden.
‘Most of this burden falls heavily on children under five, who account for more than 80 per cent of all foodborne disease burden in Nigeria. The true cost of unsafe food is not only measured in sickness and death, but also in the lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential of our children,’ he added.
Salako’s warning followed newly released estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicate that unsafe food causes approximately 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths globally every year.
The WHO report also shows that Africa carries the highest per-capita burden of foodborne diseases worldwide.
The minister identified diarrhoeal diseases as the leading foodborne health challenge in Nigeria, disclosing that more than 40 million cases are linked to pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and rotavirus.
‘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 said.
He further expressed concern over the growing threat posed by chemical contaminants in food and water, particularly lead exposure.
According to him, contaminated grains, spices and water sources are contributing to significant health losses across the country.
‘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. These numbers underscore the urgency of strengthening food safety systems across the entire value chain,’ Salako stated.
Despite the challenges, the minister said Nigeria had recorded progress in strengthening its food safety architecture.
He disclosed that the country’s 2023 Joint External Evaluation showed measurable improvements across food safety indicators, while Nigeria’s 2025 State Party Annual Report score exceeded the 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 said.
However, Salako stressed that the latest statistics should serve as a wake-up call for government agencies, food producers and consumers.
He called for intensified surveillance of heavy metals and chemical contaminants, improved food safety practices in traditional and informal markets, stronger hygiene and sanitation systems, and stricter compliance with national food safety standards.
‘The new WHO estimates are a call to action. We must intensify surveillance for heavy metals and chemical contaminants. We must improve food safety practices in traditional and informal markets where most Nigerians buy their food. We must strengthen hygiene, water and sanitation infrastructure and ensure food business operators comply with national standards,’ he said.
The minister also linked food safety concerns to Nigeria’s rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and stroke.
He explained that ensuring food safety goes beyond preventing infections and includes promoting healthier diets and reducing harmful ingredients in processed foods.
Salako disclosed that the Federal Government had developed National Guidelines for Sodium Reduction, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had finalised draft sodium reduction regulations aimed at lowering salt content in processed foods.
He added that the government is implementing industrial trans-fat elimination regulations and strengthening measures to improve sugar-sweetened beverage taxation and front-of-pack food labelling to encourage healthier consumer choices.
Also speaking at the event, Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said strengthening food safety systems remained essential to reducing the country’s burden of foodborne diseases.
Represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, Eva Edwards, Adeyeye described food safety as a critical public health, economic and development issue.
‘The theme for the 2026 World Food Safety Day reminds us that food safety is not merely a technical issue; it is a public health, socioeconomic and development imperative.
Behind every statistic on foodborne disease is a child, a family, a community or a business affected by preventable illness and loss,’ she said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC remains committed to reducing foodborne diseases through science-based regulation, effective surveillance, stronger food control systems and stakeholder engagement.
She stressed that achieving Nigeria’s nutrition and health goals would be difficult without access to safe and wholesome food.
‘Where food is unsafe, our nutritional goals cannot be achieved,’ she said.
The NAFDAC boss also called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, industry operators, researchers, development partners and consumers to address food safety challenges across the country.