Beyond Food Poisoning: Why Nigeria Must Rethink Food Safety To Save Lives

For many Nigerians, food safety is often associated with avoiding contaminated water, spoiled food, or outbreaks of food poisoning. But health experts and public health advocates have warned that the country’s food safety challenge goes far beyond bacteria, viruses, and unhygienic food handling practices.
As the world marked World Food Safety Day 2026 under the theme, “From Burden to Solutions, Safe Food Everywhere,” stakeholders called for a broader understanding of food safety, one that addresses not only foodborne illnesses but also the growing threat posed by unhealthy diets that are driving an epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The warning comes at a time when Nigeria ...