Hazards in Food

Food hazards is the process of looking at your food eating activities and habits and identifying potential problems which may harm you and thereby ensuring the necessary controls that are in place.

Such hazards include:

• Contaminated soils;
• Grazing of livestock, use of the field for disposal of waste;
• Microbial or chemical contamination on crop;
• Presence of bacterial pathogens, parasites, viruses, or environmental contaminants, e.g. pollutants in irrigation water;
• Inappropriate use of pesticides;
• Presence of E. coli etc. in irrigation water;
• Microbiological and chemical contamination of harvested crops;
• Biological, physical and chemical contamination of harvested crops;
• Temperature and condition of harvested crop.

 As food consumers, we can monitor food safety by the following way:

• Be aware of benefits and risks, when making food choices.
• Vary what we eat. Eat foods which are fresh, canned, dried, and frozen, and prepare them in different ways. Eat foods grown or raised in different places and made by different companies. This minimizes exposure to food hazards. Demand that more choices be provided.
• Properly store, handle, and cook food.
• Learn more about food safety with information from reputable sources .

With NAFDAC (National Food, Drugs and Administrative Control) in Nigeria who are very efficient nowadays, check expiry dates on canned food, tins, or bottle and check for the manufacturing date and manufacturer address. Any food that does not possess these according to NAFDAc, is not good for consumption and are hazardous to your health.