Pose food safety threats to 100 million Nigerians
Head of Agro-Economy Desk, FEMI IBIROGBA, observed some cassava-based food processing centres in Oyo and Ogun states, comparing and contrasting the processes. He writes about the deplorable state of equipment, unhygienic environments and unwholesome practices in processing the root crop to various staples, as well as how the government can intervene.
High morbidity and mortality rates associated with food-borne diseases have been linked to unwholesome procedures, processing environments and unhygienic tools as well as poor storage facilities of locally processed foods from especially root and tuber crops.As Nigerians are exposed to consumption of chemical residues in grains and beans due to unprofessional use of synthetic pesticides and insecticides for food preservation in storage, food safety has become a serious concern not only to the government, the academia and researchers but also consumers and food processors. Read more