- She advised Nigerians to refrain from keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days
Refrigerating cooked food for more than three days is dangerous and unhealthy, the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has said.
The Director General of the Prof Mojisola Adeyeye of the agency made this known on Tuesday as part of the 2024 World Food Safety Day.
She advised Nigerians to refrain from keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
In a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, on Tuesday, the agency stated that cooked food refrigerated for days will be contaminated by disease-causing pathogens, leading to foodborne diseases that can lead to death.
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.”
Speaking at the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme, ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’, the DG appealed to stakeholders in the food supply chain to take conscious efforts to create a food safety culture in their operations to minimize food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.
She noted that food safety is not only important for public health but also for economic development, adding that everyone from producers to consumers must play their part to ensure food safety.
“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.