- NAFDAC issued a warning about consuming cooked food stored in the refrigerator for more than three days
- The food can be contaminated, and consuming such food can lead to death, according to NAFDAC
- Nigerians have reacted to this warning on social media
In a recent development, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) issued a warning to Nigerians to avoid storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.
This warning, given by the Director General of the Agency, Professor Moji Adeyeye, aimed at mitigating the health risks associated with prolonged refrigeration, has sparked concern among families already grappling with economic hardship.
The current economic condition of the country has forced many Nigerians to adopt cost-saving measures like buying food in bulk and reducing frequent trips to the market.
Some working-class women also prefer to cook in bulk to make their lives easier and have food ready in minutes.
For these sets of people, refrigerating food is a strategy for preserving food and ensuring that it is readily available.
Nigerians react to NAFDAC’s warning
Reactions on social media show that the warning has created anxiety among some Nigerians while others just do not care.
@sam_obeten posted on X: “Madam, you have money to be cooking everyday and throwing food away. You think every Nigerian is enjoying the way you enjoy, cos you see supply, we go put am for fridge eat am even after one week self. Nothing happen.”
@UbaPauloo posted: “Mama, we shouldn’t eat food that has stayed more than 3 days in the refrigerator in this Jagabandit era? Abeg who has fried rice and chicken that has stayed for 6 months in the refrigerator? Bring mbok!”
@ayegba_maha posted: “Traditionally, Nigerians cook food, whether prerefrigerated or fresh at high temperatures. While this advice may be very relevant in other traditions, it seems low on the scale of priority for food safety interventions in the NAFDAC clime. Start from public food prep facilities.”
Agreeing with NAFDAC, @godwinbebs posted on X: “She’s correct… 3-4 days. It’s food safety measures we should take to keep food safe from being infected by harmful bacteria such as E Coli, Salmonella etc that causes food poisoning.”
On Facebook, Jude Chino posted in response to the news, saying: “Where do you even see light to refrigerate in Nigeria talk more of leaving it for 3 days? Where do you even see food to cook talk more of refrigerating it? Where do you even see money to buy fridge talk more of putting food inside? Talk another thing biko.”
Abednego Buna also posted: “Madam abeg we dey manage food for like one week o which kind advice be this na. We are trying to survive o.”
Elvis Owobu also responded in support of the agency. He posted: “There is sense in every nonsense, check the high rate of cancer and kidney patient in Nigeria now, even malaria and typhoid have turn what we now treat weekly, when our forefathers ate fresh and unpreserved food, no health issues like this, our immune system don almost weak finish for Africa because of our new lifestyle.”