The alarming rise in food poisoning cases across Nigeria has prompted public health and nutrition experts to urge for stricter food safety regulations, improved hygiene practices, and enhanced public education.
They warn that without significant improvements, the situation may worsen, putting additional pressure on healthcare systems and public health resources. While regulatory changes are crucial, experts emphasize that individual vigilance is also vital in ensuring food safety.
Recent months have seen a disturbing increase in food poisoning cases in Nigeria, with multiple fatalities reported in several states, including Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Benue, and Nasarawa.
Over 50 deaths have been reported in 2024 alone, with many more hospitalized.
Devastating incidents include the deaths of five children in Nasarawa State after consuming contaminated farm food and a mother and her three children in Kwara State after eating Lafun-Amala made from cassava flour.
Experts attribute the surge in food poisoning to factors such as contaminated water, improper food handling, and inadequate food storage. Certain foods, like raw meats, seafood, and unpasteurized dairy products, are particularly susceptible to contamination.
Poor personal hygiene and improper cooking techniques create environments conducive to the growth of harmful pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli.
Registered Nutritionist Mrs. Odunayo Babatunde identifies contaminated water, undercooked meat or fish, unwashed fruits and vegetables, poor hygiene during food preparation, and poorly cooked street foods as common causes of food poisoning.
She stresses the importance of washing hands before and during food preparation and highlights the need for effective preventive measures to combat foodborne infections.
She stated, “Bad hygiene, improper food handling and storage, and cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods are all major causes of food poisoning. This is because they allow bacteria to grow quickly and spread through dirty surfaces or utensils and inadequate cooking temperatures. These actions form environments where dangerous microorganisms can grow and spread, which raises the risk of getting sick from food.
“In Nigeria, the risk of food poisoning is higher during hot seasons because higher temperatures help bacteria grow, when it rains a lot, water sources can become contaminated, and when the power goes out, refrigeration systems stop working and water gets contaminated. It may also be affected by the time of year when certain foods are available since some dangerous pathogens are more common at certain times of the year.
“Common signs of food poisoning are feeling sick, throwing up, having diarrhoea, stomach pain or cramps, fever, headache, and tiredness. These symptoms normally last between one and three days, but sometimes they can last up to a week.”
Mrs. Babatunde advises using safe water for food preparation and avoiding untreated water sources to minimize the risk of food poisoning.
She emphasizes that preventing foodborne illnesses requires a joint effort from individuals, communities, and government agencies.
To achieve this, she advocates for more stringent safety regulations, improved access to clean water, and better sanitation.
By taking proactive steps, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of food poisoning and contribute to a healthier community.
“To ensure that food safety improves in Nigeria, food safety regulations and enforcement should be strengthened. Access to clean water and toilets should be improved, food handlers and customers should be taught about good hygiene, food businesses should be inspected more often, money should be spent on food safety infrastructure like cold storage facilities, and safer ways of storing food should be encouraged.
“For these efforts to work, government agencies, food industry stakeholders, and public health groups need to work together.
“The best way to avoid food contamination is by washing hands well before and during food preparation, keeping raw and cooked foods separate. Cook foods to safe internal temperatures. It is important to immediately put perishable foods in the fridge, use clean cutting boards and utensils, and wash fruits and vegetables well. Store foods in clean, covered containers, don’t leave cooked foods out at room temperature for long periods, and clean and sanitise areas where you prepare food regularly,” she noted.
Dr. Solomon Olorunfemi, a Senior Registrar at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, concurs with Mrs. Babatunde, adding that environmental and seasonal factors like hot and rainy seasons, as well as power outages, also contribute to the risk of food poisoning.
He explains that poor food handling and storage create an ideal environment for infectious pathogens to thrive, multiply, and reduce food quality, thereby facilitating the transmission of pathogens.
When asked about the symptoms of food poisoning, Dr. Olorunfemi lists typical symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, headache, and tiredness.
He emphasizes the importance of proactive measures to prevent food poisoning, especially during hot and rainy seasons, and recommends natural remedies like staying hydrated, eating easy-to-digest foods, and taking probiotics to alleviate symptoms.
Dr. Olorunfemi stresses that improving food safety standards in Nigeria requires individual and community efforts, including health education, proper refrigeration, cooking, and avoidance of cross-contamination.
He asserts that proper food handling and storage practices can significantly reduce the risk of food poisoning.
Professor Best Ordinioha, a Professor of Community Medicine and Public Health, adds that bacteria, viruses, and parasites play significant roles in food poisoning.
He explains that bacteria, the most common cause, multiply rapidly in ideal conditions, producing toxins that lead to food poisoning. Viruses, though unable to grow in food, can survive on surfaces and spread through contaminated food or water.
Professor Ordinioha emphasizes the importance of proper food handling and storage to prevent parasitic infections, noting that viruses are a common cause of food poisoning in Nigeria.
He highlighted, “Most food poisoning is caused by toxin-producing bacteria. Viruses and parasites cause food-borne infections which are different from food poisoning
“Very important, for example, cooking food with Whitlow can result in staph food poisoning, just as storing food within the dangerous temperature range of 5 – 60 Celsius.
“Rainy season is associated with the contamination of drinking water with faeces. The shortage of water in the dry season can make hand washing more difficult.
“From farm to the dining table, identifying the hazards and reducing them, using the HACCP system ( a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product) is the best way to improve food safety standards in Nigeria.”
