Nigeria’s food safety challenge extends far beyond poor hygiene and contaminated water. An increasingly worrying concern is the presence of chemical substances in food, many of which consumers may have no practical way of detecting before eating.

From chemicals used to speed up the ripening of fruits to substances allegedly applied to preserve food products, the dangers can remain invisible to consumers who rely mainly on appearance, colour and freshness when choosing what to buy.

The issue raises serious questions about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s food safety regulatory system and the extent to which harmful practices are being detected and punished.

Chemical Contamination Raises Concern

The scale of foodborne disease globally highlights the seriousness of the problem. According to estimates cited in the original article, contaminated food was responsible for about 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths worldwide in 2021, while chemical hazards accounted for a substantial proportion of deaths linked to contaminated food.

Nigeria also faces a significant foodborne disease burden. The Federal Ministry of Health reportedly estimated that the country records nearly 50 million foodborne illnesses annually, alongside more than 53,000 deaths and millions of healthy life years lost.

The concern is not limited to naturally occurring contaminants. Chemical misuse and deliberate adulteration can also introduce dangerous substances into food consumed by unsuspecting Nigerians.

Harmful Chemicals Reportedly Used on Food

Regulators have repeatedly warned against the use of dichlorvos, commonly associated with products such as Sniper, for food preservation.

The article notes that small-volume dichlorvos products marketed as Sniper have been prohibited since 2019, while larger quantities are restricted to certified agrochemical outlets. Despite this, reports and research have continued to raise concerns about the chemical being applied to products such as beans, stockfish and crayfish.

Research from different Nigerian cities has also highlighted other potential risks.

A study among fruit sellers in Ado Ekiti found that some respondents reported using calcium carbide to accelerate fruit ripening. Similar research in Uyo identified fruit sellers who had used the chemical, while a Lagos survey reported the use of substances including Gammalin 20, Sniper, aluminium phosphide, DDT and calcium carbide for food preservation.

In Benin City, laboratory testing of seven palm oil samples collected from open markets reportedly detected Sudan IV, an industrial dye associated with cancer risks, in four samples. The detected quantities were reported to range from 21.7 to 29.5 milligrams per litre.

A more recent study in Rivers State also reported detergent residues in commercially processed fufu samples from two communities, alongside high microbial contamination.

NAFDAC Regulation and Enforcement

Nigeria already has institutions responsible for regulating food safety, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Federal Ministry of Health and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

The country also has guidelines covering foodborne disease surveillance, laboratory confirmation, investigation, tracing, recalls and risk communication.

However, the key challenge is enforcement.

When contaminated food is discovered, authorities need to determine where it came from, identify the substance involved, trace the affected supply chain and ensure that potentially dangerous products are withdrawn from circulation.

Simply issuing warnings or confiscating contaminated products may not be enough to discourage deliberate adulteration.

The Need for Stronger Food Safety Monitoring

Food adulteration can create an uneven burden. Those who introduce cheap chemicals or other substances may gain financially, while consumers are left to deal with possible health consequences and medical expenses.

The article argues that consumers cannot reasonably be expected to identify invisible chemical contaminants every time they purchase food.

Instead, Nigeria needs a stronger, risk-based national surveillance system capable of identifying chemical hazards at critical points across the food supply chain.

This would require improved laboratory capacity, better tracking of food products and stronger cooperation between NAFDAC, health authorities, agricultural agencies, SON, customs authorities and law-enforcement bodies.

There is also a need for greater transparency. An annual food safety enforcement report showing the number of tests conducted, failed products, recalls, prosecutions and convictions could help Nigerians understand the effectiveness of regulatory interventions.

Protecting Consumers

Food safety is ultimately a public health responsibility. While consumers can take precautions when purchasing and preparing food, they cannot independently test every product for invisible chemical contamination.

Nigeria therefore needs to move beyond warnings and place greater emphasis on detection, traceability, enforcement and prosecution where deliberate food adulteration is established.

Protecting Nigerians from unsafe food requires a system capable of identifying hazards before they reach consumers and holding those responsible accountable.

As the original article argues, the country cannot effectively protect what it does not measure or prosecute what it cannot trace.