Safe Food for All

In a very simple sentence , a food label  is a   panel found on a package of food which contains a variety of information about the nutritional value of the food item. There are many standard pieces of information on most  food labels , including serving size, the amount of calories and other key nutrients, a list of ingredients, the production dates and the best date to be used or discarded.  Even though food labels are just one of the many boring pieces of writing struggling for our attention daily, it is important to note that practicing food safety starts by reading and understanding the labels on a food package.  All details in the food label are very important if you must make a healthy choice. However, this article explains some of the common terms seen on the seemingly confusing food labels. Those common terms are the  USE BY, BEST BEFORE AND SELL BY  dates.  Use by "Use by" dates are the most important date to consider, as ...

Becoming food safe is achieved by adopting proper methods of handling, storing and preparing foods to prevent foodborne diseases and infections. Being conscious of what we eat is a good behavior towards food safety. Foods or any eddible product must be safe before consuming. Unsafe food or water means that it has been contanated, exposed to dirt and germs, or may even be rotten, which can cause infections or diseases, some of which leads to life threatening experiences.  Food poisoning can be prevented by avoiding the 4 food conditions in the inforgraphic. Stale foods: Stale foods are food that are no longer fresh and good for consumption. The process of staling is a chemical or physical process that reduces the palatability of food, thus making it unpleasant for consumption. Such can be seen in breads and cake. Although stale foods are not actually categorized as unhealthy, they can be vehicles for microorganisms.  Spoiled products: Food spoilage is a process...

NAFDAC warns Nigerians to stay away from rotten tomato to avoid cancer. According to Sun News, Mrs Christiana Essenwa, The Deputy Director of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) warned Nigerians against the consumption of rotten tomatoes to forestall cancer. According to her, rotten tomatoes contain microorganisms that induce cancer. She explained that “once tomatoes become rotten, it will have microorganisms, mostly fungi, and fungi in rotten tomatoes produce mycotoxins which are deadly and induce cancer, and cause immune deficiency in man and animals. “Mycotoxins are deadly, and can cause all sorts of poisoning in the body,” the director said. M ycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds ( fungi) and can be found in food. She said that some research suggested that mycotoxins could also cause kidney damage. According to her, some people think that rotten tomatoes which are cheap, can be consumed a...

An Overview Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated, spoiled, or toxic foods. It is also referred to as a foodborne illness. The burden of poisoning is a global concern and millions of people get sick from contaminated food. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), six hundred million (600,000,000) people in the world fall ill after consuming contaminated food each year and of these millions of people 420,000 die, including 125,000 children under the age of five years. Thus, this calls for the general public (farmers, food processors, food handlers and vendors, and consumers) to develop food safety culture to ensure that food poisoning is kept at bay at every point. For better understanding, food poisoning is not a situation where someone intentionally introduces a substance into your food to harm or to kill you. NO! That’s an attempted murder. Causes of food poisoning:  Food poisoning may be caused by microorganisms (bacteria o...