Unsafe food causes 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria – Minister

Nigeria faces a severe public health crisis due to unsafe food, causing approximately 50 million illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths each year, stated Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare. He highlighted that food safety is a critical national priority impacting public health, productivity, and economic growth.

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unsafe food causes nearly 50 million illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria.

The minister detailed the devastating consequences, noting that foodborne diseases lead to about 4.26 million years of healthy life lost annually through illness, disability, and premature deaths. Children under five are particularly vulnerable, accounting for over 80% of the total burden of foodborne diseases in Nigeria. This translates to lost cognitive, physical, and developmental potential.

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food safety as a national development priority with far-reaching implications for public health, productivity, economic growth and the overall wellbeing of Nigerians.

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that unsafe food causes 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths yearly, with Africa bearing the highest per-capita burden. In Nigeria, over 40 million diarrhoeal illnesses are linked to pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli, major causes of hospitalization, malnutrition, and mortality in children. Emerging threats include chemical hazards like lead contamination in food and water.

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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 stressed the urgent need to strengthen food safety systems across the entire value chain, emphasizing intensified surveillance, robust preventive measures, and better coordination among stakeholders. He acknowledged Nigeria's progress, citing improvements in food safety indicators and functional systems for detecting and responding to outbreaks, positioning the country as a leader in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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In practical terms, this means the true cost of unsafe food is measured not only in sickness and death, but also in lost cognitive, physical and developmental potential.