Nigeria records an estimated 50 million cases of foodborne illness and more than 53,000 related deaths every year, and the federal government now says untrained handlers and chemical shortcuts are to blame. Dr Kingsley Udeh, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, laid out the problem and a remediation plan on Tuesday in Abuja, at an event marking the 2026 World Science Day for Peace and Development, themed "Common Ground Through Science Diplomacy."

Which practices did the minister single out?

Udeh listed the specific methods regulators intend to stamp out:

• Ripening fruit with calcium carbide
• Treating beans and grains with unauthorised chemicals
• Using paracetamol to soften meat
• Applying detergents or bleaching agents during cassava processing
• Adulterating palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV

"Other reported unsafe practices, which include ripening fruit with calcium carbide, treating beans and grains with [unauthorised chemicals], using paracetamol to soften meat, applying detergents or bleaching agents during cassava processing, and adulterating palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV, have become widespread practices with eating health consequences," the minister said.

What does the government want to change?

The core decision is staffing. Udeh announced plans to deploy qualified food science and technology professionals into food safety monitoring, particularly at the local government level. The federal government will facilitate a professional cadre for these practitioners in the public service, putting trained experts inside food inspection, processing and quality control.

The staffing gap is the puzzle. Nigeria produces about 3,000 food science and technology graduates annually from roughly 70 tertiary institutions, yet their skills sit idle in the public sector. "With all of these trained hands and professionals, we still are not where we should be in terms of food safety and food handling practices because we're not yet effectively utilising these hands, particularly in the public service, because it's been constrained by an absence of an established professional cadre," Udeh said.

The process will run through personnel audits and skills-gap analysis. The Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2019, regulates the profession.

How large is the health burden?

Citing World Health Organisation figures, Udeh said about 866 million people globally suffer foodborne illnesses each year, causing approximately 1.52 million deaths, including 143,000 children under five. Unsafe food costs the global economy an estimated $310 billion annually and can cause more than 200 diseases.

Nigeria's share of that burden — 50 million illnesses and over 53,000 deaths a year — puts the domestic stakes in perspective. "These practices certainly endanger lives, undermine consumer confidence, and compromise food security. Food must sustain life, not endanger it," the minister said.

What must food businesses do now?

Udeh urged food businesses and regulatory institutions to engage qualified professionals in food production, quality assurance, processing and storage. Inspectors should verify practitioners' professional registration and valid annual practice licences before approving operations.

Local governments received a direct instruction as well: adopt the council's food safety operational manual, developed for food business operators, market traders and street-food vendors. The manual targets monitoring in markets, restaurants, abattoirs and other food outlets.

Where does indigenous technology fit?

The ministry is promoting locally fabricated equipment for safer processing, preservation, storage and packaging. The list includes improved fish-smoking kilns, solar dryers, grain storage systems, cassava-processing equipment and food-grade grinding machines. The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, fabricates much of this hardware, and the ministry backs shared community processing facilities for small-scale operators.

Packaging is one concrete target. Udeh flagged garri, often displayed in open containers and exposed to dust, insects and unhygienic handling. Appropriate packaging technologies, he said, would cut contamination and preserve quality without imposing excessive costs on small-scale traders.

What happens next?

A national food systems stakeholders' meeting will convene within the next one to two months. The goal is stronger coordination among government institutions and players across the food value chain, from farm inputs to street vending.

For operators, the message is direct: professionalise or face inspectors who now have a manual, a licence registry and a growing professional cadre behind them.