Why food poisoning persist in Nigeria despite regulations — Expert

By: Mustapha USMAN

AS Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Food Safety Day 2026, a food and nutrition security expert has warned that foodborne diseases, driven by weak enforcement, poor hygiene practices, and gaps in food systems, remain a persistent public health threat to citizens.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that unsafe food causes about 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths every year. This year’s World Food Safety Day, themed “From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere,” highlights how climate variability is already worsening food safety risks globally by affecting food storage conditions, water quality, and pathogen survival rates.

The ICIR reports that the WHO data show that foodborne diseases cause about 200 different illnesses globally and affect nearly 1 in 10 people annually. Children under five are especially vulnerable, carrying a disproportionate burden. In 2021, they accounted for roughly 29 per cent of cases and up to 143,000 deaths.

The organisation also noted that low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, carry the highest burden due to weak regulatory systems, limited access to clean water, and inadequate food safety infrastructure.

This, according to Nigerian food expert, Azeez Salawu is due to structural and behavioural failures across the food chain. Speaking with The ICIR, Salawu, founder of Community Action for Food Security (CAFS Africa), said weak enforcement, poor awareness, and widespread informality continue to drive foodborne diseases in Nigeria, despite existing regulations.

He said the problem cuts across production, processing, transportation, and consumption stages, adding that poor hygiene practices among food handlers remain a major driver of contamination across the country.

“Many food vendors and handlers operate with limited knowledge of food safety standards…there is usually minimal access to clean water facilities that would help them maintain a clean environment and ensure proper waste management to further reduce contamination risk,” he said.

Salawu explained that Nigeria’s largely informal food system makes regulation difficult, as a significant proportion of food sold in urban and rural markets bypasses formal inspection channels. Therefore, “monitoring and compliance are almost nonexistent. People buy food without knowing its source or handling conditions,” he noted.

Corroborating the WHO’s warning on climate variability, he reiterated that rising temperatures are increasing food spoilage, pest infestation, and microbial growth in stored food items.

“Regulatory bodies have standards, but implementation is often slow due to limited resources, inadequate inspection capacity and weak surveillance systems,” he said.

Gaps in Nigeria’s food safety system

According to Azeez Salawu, while policies exist, compliance remains inconsistent, particularly among small and medium-scale food operators and open markets. “Infrastructure is a major challenge. Poor storage facilities, unreliable electricity, weak cold chain systems, and poor transport networks all contribute,” he said, adding that many Nigerians are still not sufficiently aware of basic food safety practices, making them vulnerable to preventable foodborne illnesses.

Salawu stressed that food safety is an economic and developmental concern and, therefore, to address the crisis, he suggested a multi-layered response involving government, food vendors, and consumers.

“For government and regulators, there is a need to strengthen routine inspection and compliance monitoring in the short term. In the long term, there should be investment in modern cold chain infrastructure and food testing facilities, a digitised food traceability system across value chains, and stronger coordination among regulatory agencies. This is important to mainstream food safety into national food and public health policy,” he said.

For food vendors, the food and nutrition security expert recommended strict adherence to basic hygiene practices, improved food storage, and participation in regular food safety training programmes. He also urged consumers to take more responsibility by checking product labels, properly washing food items, and reporting suspected food safety violations.

“As we commemorate World Food Safety Day 2026, the key message is that food safety is everyone’s responsibility. Safe food saves lives, protects livelihoods, reduces health costs, improves nutritional outcomes, and strengthens trust across food systems,” he said.