- …Warn against use of sniper in food preservation
Angela Onwuzoo
Nigerians especially traders in the habit of storing grains in used fertilizer bags and chemical containers such as drums and jerry cans may need to be wary of such storage method as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, says it could lead to contamination of food.
Such method of food storage NAFDAC said was associated with lot of health risks, warning that people should also stop using sniper for the preservation of grains .
Experts say poor food storage could lead to diseases such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, botulism, listeriosis, Hepatitis A, and cancer.
The warning against use of chemicals in food preservation, according to food experts, became necessary because most of those affected by unsafe food in Nigeria are children under age five.
Besides, there are ongoing global efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe.
Report shows that unsafe food practices abound across the country.
These include unhealthy cultivation practices through the use of unapproved chemicals (such as calcium carbide in fruit and vegetable ripening) and fertilisers; poor food storage and processing facilities, as seen in a number of abattoirs and along the roads; the use of disused tires and kerosene in roasting animals for human consumption; non-hygienic food preparation environments as seen in the way foods are prepared by the roadsides, gutters and near open faecal defecation areas among others.
Every year, nearly one in 10 people in the world (an estimated 600 million people) fall ill and 420,000 die after eating food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances. Unsafe food also hinders development in many low- and middle-income economies, which lose around US$ 95 billion in productivity associated with illness, disability, and premature death suffered by workers, according to the World Health Organisation.
To reduce hazards of food poisoning in the country, NAFDAC warned against poor handling of foods by producers sellers, saying the populace and consumers are being exposed unduly to health risks from contaminants.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, told our correspondent on this year’s World Food Safety Day that in Nigeria, there had been reoccurring food safety issues as well as emerging issues including poor storage artificial ripening of fruits using unapproved agents such as calcium carbide which she said, could have deleterious effects on health when such fruits are consumed. Adeyeye explained:“The use of unapproved insecticides such as sniper for the preservation of grains by unauthorised persons, the use of containers contaminated with hazardous chemicals such as fertilizer bags for grains or chemical drums and jerry cans for food storage are classic examples of a common practice among the market men and women due to ignorance.
“Unauthorised chemicals such as dichlorvos for storage of grains and other agricultural produce by unauthorised persons could lead to contamination of the stored products.
“Implicated in this practice also are exporters and dealers of agricultural commodities who spray hazardous pesticides on produce during storage to prevent damage by pests at the cost of human lives and public health. All these among other poor practices unduly expose the populace to health risk from these contaminants.
The NAFDAC boss listed other food safety challenges in the country to include; display of food products in the sun which could produce harmful by products such as benzene in soft drinks, poor transportation, and use of non-food grade packaging materials amongst others.
Speaking on the importance of food safety in an interview with The Point, a food experts and National President, Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, the body representing food professionals drawn from the academia, industry, government and research institutes in Nigeria, Mr Oluwole Toye, said pesticides could be dangerous when ingested with foods at certain levels and they could become harmful, over time, from accumulated consumption.
“It is absolutely necessary to prevent the consumption of these chemicals through food purchased in the marketplace by ensuring you buy only from trusted stores where this may not be an issue.
“This can only be achieved through sufficient information dissemination on safe practices in the use of chemicals in food preservation. Perchance if there is a suspicion that food has been contaminated by chemicals, it should be disposed off. However, in some aspects, contaminated food should be rinsed severally in running water to reduce the level in the food. This, however, will not assure complete elimination of the chemicals; hence food poisoning hazard exists”, he said.
According to him, there consequences of consuming foods preserved with sniper and other harmful chemicals.
Toye said: ” It leads to gastro- intestinal health issues, brain and other internal tissue damage, blood poisoning, food poisoning and could also lead to fatality – death.”
Corroborating the views of his colleague, Mr. Sunday Bamgbose, traders must ensure ensure that the food that people consume worldwide is safe.
“We all know that food is mandatory for every human being. Nobody can survive without food, so if the food we are consuming is not safe, it would not be benefitting to the body. If you have ever experienced food poisoning at one time or the other, you will know that it is not something palatable”, he said.
Another expert, Alphonsus Onwemeka, said a dietary study carried out in Lagos and Kano showed a worrisome level of contamination of food at the point of consumption.
He said the food was contaminated with chemicals, metals, pesticides residue, among others.
“This should awaken Nigeria to the looming health challenges and economic loss that could result from lack of attention on food safety.”
Onwemeka also said, “it is critical to understand our food safety need to change due to increase food needs, dietary transition, the increase in number of formal and informal food outlets in urban areas.
“Food is an essential part of our daily life, as everyone eats at least one meal a day and these range from fruits and vegetables to carbohydrates and proteins.
“High risk foods such as ready-to-eat foods, foods of animal origin and spices can contain harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, due to unsafe food handling practices.”
In his message on the World Food Day, the WHO Director-General,
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said: ” There is no food security without food safety.”
According to him, “Unsafe food kills an estimated 420,000 people every year. These deaths are entirely preventable.
The World Food Safety Day 2019 declared for the first time by the United Nations with the theme: “food safety is everyone’s business”, is aimed at calling global attention to the unhealthy effects of unsafe food.
To address the challenges of food safety in Nigeria, the experts urged the Federal Government to pass and implement the food safety bill.
The bill on National Food Safety & Quality has been approved by the Federal Executive Council and it is currently at the National Assembly for passage into law.
They said when the bill is passed into law, it would reduce hazards of food poisoning in the country.
