Stop keeping cooked food in the refrigerator says NAFDAC

Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has advised Nigerians to avoid keeping cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.

Adeyeye cautioned that cooked food stored for prolonged periods in the refrigerator is prone to contamination by pathogens that cause foodborne diseases, which can be fatal.

This warning was issued in a statement on Tuesday, signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.

Adeyeye made these remarks in commemoration of the 2024 World Food Safety Day, themed ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’. She urged all stakeholders in the food supply chain to proactively adopt a culture of food safety in their operations to mitigate risks and hazards that could compromise food quality and safety.

World Food Safety Day, observed annually on June 7, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to raise awareness and promote efforts to prevent, detect, and address public health risks associated with unsafe food.

The statement partially read, “She urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days, warning that cooked food stored for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.”

Adeyeye emphasized that food safety is crucial not only for public health but also for economic development and food security.

She noted that food safety is a collective responsibility, adding that everyone from producers to consumers needs to play their part to ensure food safety.

According to Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the campaign seeks to enhance global food safety awareness, bolstering efforts to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks worldwide by emphasizing the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents.