NAFDAC warns against storing cooked food in refrigerator

The director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Adeyeye, Tuesday, urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.

She stated that cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens and they are key agents of food-borne diseases that can lead to death.

She stated this in a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.

Speaking at the commemoration of the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme, ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’, Adeyeye said stakeholders in the food supply chain should take deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.

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The statement reads, “She however urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days, warning that 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.”

Adeyeye added that food safety is not only important for public health but a sine qua non for economic development and food security.

The World Health Organisation said an estimated 600 million – almost one in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.

WHO said $110bn is lost yearly in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.

Also, the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs. Eva Edwards, warned that food borne diseases are expensive, yet they are preventable.