‘Unwholesome food dangerous to Nigerians' health’

The Interim Director of Gender, Nutrition and Climate Adaptation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States (U.S.), Shelly Sundberg and Prof. Prof. Oyinkan Tasie of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, U.S., have warned that consumption of unhealthy food is detrimental to the health of Nigerians.

They gave the warning while speaking with smoked fish sellers at Rahama Market, Bodija, Ibadan, on the need to embrace hygiene in the preparation of their fish and at a meeting held with traders at Adis Hotels, Bodija, Ibadan.

According to Sundberg, the purpose of the project is to increase access to safe affordable nutritious food, specifically fish and vegetables.

”If food is not safe, it is not food. This is to show them how to have safe and hygienic conditions where food is sold so that people don’t get sick from their food,” Sundberg said.

On his part, Tasie, who emphasised that eating unsafe food is detrimental to the health and living of Nigerians and the entire population, said: ”People come all over Nigeria to buy fish. This is one of the markets we select as a co-creation intervention project. The idea is to enhance safety of food.”

especially fish. We have taught them how to handle fish and basic hygiene. We have talked to the local councils to see how we can support them with infrastructure and some of the things they need. We now have safe food from this place. Safe food is very important. They should implement what they have learned and keep on doing what they have started doing.”

In his response, General Secretary of Rahama Fish Market, Bodija, Farounk Abudminin, said: ”We are distributing this from Delta, Lagos and so many states. We benefit from many things from this project. We need the support of the government because we gave toilets, money for business from the government.”