From roadside fruit stalls to open-air meat markets, a silent killer may be lurking on Nigerian plates. The Senate has raised alarm over the widespread use of toxic chemicals in food processing and preservation across the country. Lawmakers say these dangerous practices are slowly poisoning millions of citizens.
Following a shocking investigation, the upper chamber of the National Assembly on Wednesday declared the situation a public health emergency. It also resolved to amend existing laws to impose tougher penalties on offenders involved in food adulteration.
The revelations came from a report by the Joint Senate Committees on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) and Agricultural Services, Production and Rural Development. The investigation followed growing concerns over unsafe food handling practices in the country.
The committee’s findings, presented on the Senate floor, painted a disturbing picture of what Nigerians are unknowingly consuming every day.
Fruit sellers were found using calcium carbide, a chemical meant for welding and metal cutting, to artificially ripen fruits overnight. The process releases arsenic and phosphine gas, both known to cause cancer, respiratory failure, and neurological damage.
In abattoirs and meat markets, vendors reportedly boil beef with paracetamol tablets to soften tough meat. This dangerous practice can lead to liver and kidney failure when consumed.
Grain merchants, seeking to protect stored produce from insects, have turned to Sniper insecticide (Dichlorvos), a powerful pesticide banned for agricultural use, to fumigate food stocks. Cassava processors were found soaking tubers in detergents or household bleach to hasten fermentation. Palm oil and pepper sellers used Sudan IV dye, a banned industrial colouring agent linked to cancer, to enhance the redness of their products.
Even supermarket shelves were not spared. Investigators discovered that some imported fruits were coated with Morpholine, a waxing chemical prohibited by the European Union because of its potential to damage the liver and kidneys.
During plenary, senators expressed outrage at the scale of the problem and its devastating impact on public health.
“What Nigerians are eating daily is slow poison,” one lawmaker said. “This is no longer about consumer protection. This is about survival.”
The Senate report warned that these toxic substances have been directly linked to cancer, kidney and liver diseases, as well as a surge in foodborne infections such as cholera and Lassa fever.
Official data paints a grim picture. In 2025, Nigeria recorded over 14,000 cholera cases, resulting in 378 deaths, while 119 Nigerians died from food-related Lassa fever infections, according to figures presented to the Senate.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that Nigeria suffers over one million foodborne illness cases annually, costing the economy an estimated 3.6 billion dollars in lost productivity and healthcare expenses each year.
“These are not mere statistics,” another senator lamented. “These are mothers, fathers, and children dying from what should give them life, food.”
In response, the Senate adopted a series of resolutions aimed at curbing the menace. Lawmakers agreed to amend Sections 243 to 245 of the Criminal Code to provide stiffer penalties, including imprisonment and heavy fines, for anyone caught using or distributing toxic chemicals in food production.
The chamber also directed several government agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and Nigeria Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFOST), to immediately commence nationwide enforcement drives and public awareness campaigns.
Senators stressed the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration to ensure that food sold across Nigeria meets basic safety standards. They also called on the government to strengthen laboratory testing capacity at local and state levels to detect chemical contamination before products reach consumers.
Public health experts have long warned about Nigeria’s weak food safety enforcement and the public’s lack of awareness about the dangers of chemical additives.
Dr. Chinyere Oko, a food scientist based in Lagos, said that many vendors use these substances out of ignorance or desperation. “They are trying to make quick profit or prevent spoilage, but in the process, they are endangering lives,” she said. “The government must combine law enforcement with grassroots education.”
Others called for the establishment of a National Food Safety Authority to harmonise regulations and coordinate responses to outbreaks of foodborne diseases.
“The fragmented regulatory system we have now makes enforcement nearly impossible,” said Dr. Hassan Sule, an environmental health specialist. “Everyone, from the farmer to the final consumer, must be educated and monitored.”
As debate drew to a close, lawmakers emphasised that legislative action alone would not be enough to stop the growing crisis. Continuous public sensitisation and strict enforcement, they said, are vital to changing entrenched habits in markets and processing centres across the country.
“The tragedy is that many Nigerians do not even know they are eating poison,” one senator remarked. “We cannot allow food to become a source of death.”
In a solemn resolution, the Senate declared:
“This is a national health emergency. We must protect what Nigerians eat, from farm to table.”
The report concluded with a haunting reminder from the committee chair:
“Food is meant to sustain life. But in Nigeria today, it has become death served fresh.”
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