By Desire Uzochukwu
The Federal Government has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to combat food contamination and fraudulent food processing practices blamed for an estimated 50 million food-borne illnesses and 53,000 related deaths in Nigeria, warning that offenders will face prosecution and up to two years’ imprisonment.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, declaring that the government would strengthen enforcement and deploy trained professionals to check dangerous practices across the country’s food chain.
Udeh said his ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney-General to prosecute individuals and businesses involved in producing, processing or selling contaminated and adulterated food.
He warned that convictions would attract penalties ranging from six months to two years’ imprisonment, stressing the need to protect Nigerians from preventable illnesses and deaths caused by unsafe food.
The minister said the scale of food contamination had become alarming globally and nationally, citing a World Health Organisation, WHO, report released in June which estimated that 866 million people worldwide suffered food-borne illnesses in 2021, resulting in 1.52 million deaths, including 143,000 children under five.
The report also estimated the global economic burden of food-borne diseases at $310 billion.
According to Udeh, WHO studies have shown that unsafe food can cause more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancer.
He recalled the deaths of five members of a family in Kogi State in August 2026 after consuming fufu processed from cassava flour, as well as 49 fatalities in Ondo State in September following the consumption of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal drinks contaminated with methanol.
He said the tragedies reinforced the urgency of tackling unsafe food practices through stricter regulation, public education and effective enforcement.
Udeh commended the Registrar of the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, NiCFoST, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, for her efforts to rid the country of unwholesome and adulterated food products.
Earlier, Ezeh identified several dangerous practices in food processing and preservation, warning that they were exposing Nigerians to serious health risks.
She listed the artificial ripening of fruits with calcium carbide, application of dichlorvos, popularly known as Sniper, on beans and grains, use of paracetamol to tenderise meat, and the application of detergents and bleaching agents in cassava processing.
She also raised concerns over the adulteration of palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV dye.
According to her, these practices have contributed to rising cases of liver cirrhosis, kidney diseases, cancer and damage to other vital organs.
To reverse the trend, the registrar outlined a series of measures, including strict enforcement of Sections 243 to 245 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Other measures include the proposed establishment of a Food Science and Technology Professional Cadre across federal, state and local government public services, promotion of modern technologies in food safety, and the introduction of sealing and packaging requirements for food products.
She said the government would also organise a stakeholders’ conference, mobilise relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen enforcement and promote the adoption of the NiCFoST Food Safety Procedure Manual, launched last year.
Ezeh said the council was determined to ensure that the over 3,000 Food Science and Technology graduates produced annually in Nigeria were employed by the three tiers of government to take charge of food safety nationwide.
She maintained that engaging qualified professionals across federal, state and local governments would strengthen food surveillance, improve regulatory compliance and help prevent the circulation of contaminated and adulterated food products.
