Chijioke Iremeka Health professionals have raised the alarm over the sale of rat poison and other hazardous substances alongside food items in retail environments in Nigeria, including markets. The physicians warned that such practice poses significant health risks to consumers, especially children. They said accidental ingestion of these toxic substances could lead to severe poisoning, requiring immediate medical attention and sometimes death, if medical attention was not given.
The physicians were reacting based on the practice of displaying rat poison and other chemicals in the same space with edibles in markets on the streets and in the supermarket. They stressed that the proximity of such harmful items to edibles blurs the lines of safety and responsibility in food retailing. Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in different interviews, the medical practitioners called on the regulatory bodies in the country to ensure and enforce stricter guidelines to separate toxic products from food items, ensuring consumer awareness.
They said that public health campaigns could also play a crucial role in educating the sellers and shoppers about the dangers of these products sold in the same space as food items. A public health physician at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Dr Okechukwu Echendu, said that maintaining a safe shopping environment was vital to healthy living. Echendu, who urged the traders to prioritise the well-being of their .