Don’t keep cooked food in refrigerator for more than 3 days – NAFDAC warns Nigerians

Nigerians have been urged not to store cooked food in the refrigerator for longer than three days by Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control, or NAFDAC.

Sayo Akintola, the agency’s resident media consultant, issued a statement on Tuesday announcing this.

The organisation warned that cooked food kept in the fridge for several days could get contaminated by microorganisms that cause illness, which could result in fatal foodborne diseases.

Parts of the statement read: “She (NAFDAC FG) 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.”

The DG urged participants in the food supply chain to make deliberate efforts to establish a food safety culture in their operations to reduce food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety. The DG made this appeal while speaking at the 2024 World Food Safety Day, with its theme, “Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected.”

She emphasised that everyone, from producers to consumers, must do their share to maintain food safety, noting that it is crucial for public health and economic growth.

“Let us all stay true to the statements’ food safety is everyone’s business’ and ‘food safety is a shared responsibility’ as we mark 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,” she said.

The World Health Organisation estimates that consuming contaminated food causes illnesses in 600 million people worldwide or nearly one in ten people, and 420,000 deaths annually, taking 33 million years of healthy life away.

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