Cooked food stored in fridge for days harmful, NAFDAC warns

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised Nigerians against storing cooked food in the fridge for more than three days.

According to the Director General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.

Mrs Adeyeye was quoted in a statement Tuesday signed by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, at an event organised to commemorate the 2024 World Food Safety Day (WFSD).

This year’s global event is themed: “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected.”

WHO had also recently advised that foods that have not been refrigerated properly due to power outages should be discarded.

According to WHO, perishable and cooked foods stored in a refrigerator after four hours without power are no longer safe for consumption.

This is a major concern in Nigeria as power supply across the country remains unstable due to reasons such as unreliable grid systems, gas scarcity, and substantial debt burdens.

Food Safety

Celebrated annually on 7 June, World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to raise awareness and encourage efforts to prevent, detect and address public health risks linked to unsafe food.

According to WHO estimates, globally, one in 10 people becomes sick, and 420,000 die each year after consuming contaminated food.

WHO noted that in developing countries, about $110 billion is lost every year on medical expenses due to unsafe food.

NAFDAC DG, however, called on all stakeholders in the food supply chain to take deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate the food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.

She emphasised that everybody has a role to play, from the farm to the table, to ensure that the food prepared for consumption is safe and will not cause damage to the health.

‘’Let us all stay true to the statements ‘food safety is everyone’s business’ and ‘food safety is a shared responsibility,” she was quoted.

“As we celebrate this year’s World Food Safety Day. Working together, we will continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness and preparedness for the unexpected.’’

Participant at an event organised to commemorate the 2024 World Food Safety Day

Foodborne disease preventable

In her remark, the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Eva Edwards, noted that foodborne diseases are expensive but preventable.

Mrs Edwards emphasised the significance of food as a necessity for human life, adding that it can also be a source of harm if not handled properly.

She stated that food safety emergency response must be anchored on a multisectoral, collaborative, integrated one-health approach across the health, agriculture, and environment sectors, the tiers of government, including relevant external partners and non-governmental organisations.

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She explained that the objective is to have a coordinated approach to investigating foodborne disease outbreaks and contributing knowledge and skills from the different sectors to achieve a robust and comprehensive investigation.

‘’Let’s all play our part in promoting the culture of good hygiene practices in our homes, communities, and food establishments. Together, we can ensure a safer and healthier food supply for everyone,” she was quoted as saying.