One evening after a long day at work, Fatima Ibrahim, a civil servant in Lagos, South West Nigeria, stopped by a street food vendor for a quick meal and asked that fried plantain should be added to her food.
Unknowingly to her, the fried plantain she bought was rapidly ripened by calcium carbide, a substance popular among some fruit vendors selling bananas, mangoes, and plantains. This substance is fraught with health risks, including the potential to cause cancer, as well as respiratory and digestive issues.
“I was rushed to the hospital after eating the food,” Fatima recalled as the memory of the day was vivid.
She explained that her stomach churned as she was gripped by a wave of nausea. Within an hour, the pain became unbearable. She started vomiting and was rushed to a hospital where she was told she ate food poison caused by the chemically ripened plantain.
“Many food vendors don’t prioritise hygiene, and it’s a gamble every time you indulge. While I enjoy the convenience because I usually leave home early to get to work here in Ikeja, Lagos. I’m always worried about falling sick.”
Lagos is renowned for its vibrant street food scenes, offering an abundance of mouthwatering dishes that attract locals and travellers.

From swallows to jollof rice, sizzling suya to mouth-watering beans cake, fruits and vegetables, the options seem endless as the city’s streets are lined with vendors offering a plethora of culinary delights. Amid the hustle and bustle, questions linger about the safety of these roadside treats.
Health implications
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk of foodborne diseases is most severe in low and middle-income countries where they prepare food with unsafe water; poor hygiene; lower levels of literacy and education; and insufficient food safety legislation or implementation of such legislation.
In Nigeria, over 200,000 people reportedly die from foodborne illness annually as unsafe food containing pathogenic bacteria, viruses, helminths, or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers.

Foodborne diseases can cause short-term symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea (commonly referred to as food poisoning), but can also cause longer-term illnesses, such as cancer, kidney or liver failure, brain and neural disorders.
In a city where the rhythm of life never ceases and the streets teem with activities, the decision to indulge in street food becomes a personal calculus of risk versus reward.
For Fatima and others like her, the choice is not merely about satisfying hunger but about safeguarding their well-being in a city where the stakes are high.
Another resident, Seun Ajala said as much as he enjoys the flavours of street foods especially in the evening “when I close from work and I am very hungry, the conditions in which the food is prepared and served leave much to be desired, raising serious doubts about its safety, but I have no choice, so I just have to eat.”

A Nurse and Paramedic, Bukola Okusanya, shared that street food can pose health risks due to poor hygiene, inadequate food safety practices, and the potential for contamination.
“These illnesses can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, and even death in severe cases. Additionally, some street foods lack nutritional information, vary in ingredient quality, and contribute to excessive calorie intake, leading to health issues like cardiovascular problems, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and liver disease,” she said.
Food vendors, professional chef speak
A fruit seller who simply identified herself as Olumide, however, defended the hygiene practices of street vendors, saying they take pride in ensuring that their foods are safe for consumption.
But she admitted that inadequate sanitation facilities and limited access to clean water pose significant hurdles to some street vendors.
On his part, Adebayo Olatunji, a professional chef, urged street food vendors to take a critical responsibility in protecting consumers’ health.
“The food they serve can either contribute to the well-being of their customers or pose serious health risks if not handled properly. Therefore, it is imperative for vendors to follow proper hygiene practices, such as regularly washing their hands, using clean utensils, and wearing gloves when handling food. Additionally, they should ensure that their cooking environments are clean and that food is stored at the correct temperatures to prevent contamination.”
Another vendor, Olakitan Oluwabunmi, shared her insights on improving hygiene among food vendors to reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases.
“Firstly, for someone to adjust or correct a behaviour, they need to be enlightened about its importance, advantages, disadvantages, effects, and causes,” she explained. “For vendors to work on reducing the causes of foodborne diseases, they must understand what foodborne diseases are, their effects, what can lead to them, and their impact on the body. Once they grasp this, you can start guiding them on how to avoid these diseases and improve their knowledge.”
“I remember buying fish from a vendor who also sold fried potatoes. After serving a customer, she placed the fork on a dusty show-glass and reused it without cleaning. Such overlooked practices matter significantly. Vendors should use nylon gloves, cover food properly, and maintain a clean environment.”
She also stressed the importance of using quality ingredients and maintaining cleanliness in food preparation.
Regulatory oversight
As part of efforts to ensure food safety, the Lagos State Ministry of Health recently launched a food safety campaign.
The Federal Ministry of Health also launched a Unified Food Safety Training Manuals for capacity building of food vendors, food handlers, food manufacturers and plethora of personnel in the entire food supply chain in the country.
The ministry noted that the manual became necessary to address the gaps needed to strengthen food safety systems.
Meanwhile, Chioma Okonkwo, a public health expert, urged “the government to facilitate robust mechanisms coupled with comprehensive training programs to ensure compliance and safeguard public health.”
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