Food Kills 53,000 Nigerians Yearly as Government Raises Alarm

The suya is delicious. The buka rice is affordable. But the food on your plate could be killing you — and the numbers prove it.

The Federal Government has revealed that unsafe food causes more than 53,000 deaths and nearly 50 million illnesses in Nigeria every year. The staggering figures were disclosed by Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, during a briefing in Abuja to commemorate the 2026 World Food Safety Day, themed “From Burden to Solutions — Safe Food Everywhere.”

The Scale of the Crisis

The numbers deserve to be read slowly. Fifty-three thousand deaths every year. Fifty million illnesses. And an estimated 4.26 million years of healthy life lost annually to foodborne diseases through illness, disability, and premature death.

Diarrhoeal diseases lead the charge. More than 40 million of those annual diarrhoeal illnesses are linked to food contamination by pathogens including Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and rotavirus. Consequently, a trip to a roadside food stall carries health risks that most Nigerians have learnt to simply accept as normal.

Children Are the Most Vulnerable

The burden falls heaviest on the youngest. Children under five years of age account for more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s entire foodborne disease burden. That means the people least able to protect themselves — who cannot choose where they eat or what they consume — are suffering the most.

Beyond microbial contamination, chemical hazards are a growing problem. Heavy metals, pesticide residues, and adulterants found in food items at some markets are adding a new layer of risk that regulatory agencies are still working to address. Furthermore, ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats are now a separate concern, with organisations warning that food safety extends beyond contamination to include products that quietly damage health over time.

What the Government Is Doing

Dr Salako called on food vendors, manufacturers, and regulators to work together. He urged industries to reduce unhealthy ingredients, improve traceability, and maintain accurate labelling. He also appealed directly to Nigerians to adopt safer food handling practices at home and in food businesses.

“Food safety is everyone’s business. It saves lives, strengthens our economy and protects our children,” he said. “Together, we can build a Nigeria where every household, every market and every community can confidently say: the food on our table is safe.”

That goal remains a long way off. However, for the 53,000 Nigerians who die from unsafe food every year, the urgency could not be more real.