Is refrigerating cooked food for more than three days dangerous? NAFDAC – TrendyNewsReporters

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days. The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, issued the warning when he spoke at the 2024 World Food Security Day with the theme: “Food Security: Preparing for the Unexpected”. According to her, cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne illnesses that can lead to death. Adeyeye stressed that food safety is a collective responsibility and everyone’s responsibility, from producers to consumers. , they must do their part to ensure that the food we eat is safe. According to the DG in a statement released on Tuesday by the agency’s resident media advisor, Sayo Akintola, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally, one in 10 people fall ill and 420,000 die every year from the consumption of contaminated food. This translates into the loss of 33 million years of healthy life, with children under five and other vulnerable groups in poorer regions being disproportionately affected. Adeyeye, who noted that food safety is not only important for public health but is a sine qua non for economic development and food security, stressed that everyone has a role to play, from farm to fork, to ensure that the food we consume is safe and will not cause harm to our health. He added that for World Food Safety Day 2024, WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are asking all stakeholders along the food supply chain whether they are prepared to face unexpected threats to food security in an increasingly interconnected and interconnected global food supply. Therefore, although being prepared to handle food safety incidents requires dedicated efforts from politicians, food safety authorities, farmers and food business operators, consumers can also play a very active role. He, however, reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has developed programs for the elimination, eradication, prevention and control of diseases, which include the National Integrated Guidelines for Surveillance and Response to Diseases of food, useful for disease preparedness and rapid response to emerging and re-emerging foodborne diseases. He challenged all stakeholders, from regulatory officials, experts, manufacturers, processors, distributors, retailers, restaurants and consumers, to consider whether they are actually prepared for the unexpected. “Let us all remain true to the statement ‘food safety is everyone’s business and food safety is a shared responsibility’ as we celebrate this year’s World Food Safety Day. By working together, we will continue to strengthen our food security system, ensuring its resilience, robustness and preparedness for unexpected events,” he added.