A Consumer Scientist at Purdue University, Nigeria, Bukade Adesina, has emphasized the need for integrating nutrition and food safety education in basic school curricula.
According to Adesina, teaching children about balanced diets and safe food handling from an early age will engender lifelong habits that improve health outcomes.
“Food safety is a major challenge that requires urgent attention. Unsafe food handling, poor storage systems, and contamination from substances like aflatoxins remain widespread,” Adesina said. “Foodborne illnesses kill about 200,000 Nigerians annually, according to the World Health Organisation. Aflatoxin contamination in staple foods such as maize and groundnuts poses serious health risks, while inadequate regulation of food imports worsens the situation.”
Adesina noted that many Nigerians lack understanding of the nutritional value of foods, how to prepare them safely, and how to store them to prevent contamination.
“Without education, efforts to improve nutrition and food safety will be ineffective,” he said. “To address this, nutrition and food safety education should be integrated into school curricula. Teaching children about balanced diets and safe food handling from an early age will create lifelong habits that improve health outcomes.”
Adesina also called on regulatory agencies to enforce regulations on food safety, emphasizing the need for public awareness campaigns on food safety and nutrition.
“Messages must be culturally relevant and tailored to different communities. Community leaders, influencers, and celebrities can play a key role in spreading these messages effectively,” he said.
Adesina advocated for the training of smallholder farmers on safe agricultural practices and supporting them to adopt better storage technologies.
He also suggested investing in fortified foods and biofortified crops, such as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, to improve food safety and nutrition.
