Every morning I drive out of my gate, down the street is this particular house with blocks of flats and shops in front, you can see a large pot with cassava flour (FUFU) being prepared over an open fire in an unconducive environment. In fact, there’s a drainage beside the fire. This drainage houses the flow of water from the flat’s bathroom and kitchen.
The cassava flour is mixed with water and turned in the large pot. Because of the proportion of the meal, some can be seen spilling from the pot. A young guy or lady take turns daily in turning the cassava flour. They are very sweaty.
Hmmn, I shudder to think of those little drops of sweat falling into the FUFU as if it were an active ingredient needed for the meal.
I have spent a lot of time being puzzled by the insensitivity of the gentle guy or lady preparing this meal that would be sold to hundreds of people. But my greater concern is the people that see how the FUFU is being made with the active ingredient ‘SWEAT’ and still make it a daily dosage to quench their unending ‘HUNGER’.
At that point, I realized that food by most Nigerians simply means any substance, which is palatable to the mouth, fills the stomach and satisfies their HUNGER.
Before I stop to roast them, I start to blame myself and my classmates in university that worked hard to study FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY for 5 long years and don’t think it’s important to contribute to the safety of food in Nigeria. There is a bridge between FOOD & HEALTH. A food is supposed to provide you all the nutritional value required by the body and general well being.
The customers of the FUFU seller not only buy a meal but also a portion of E.Coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus that is found from the sweat of the young man/lady preparing it. Also, while preparing the meal, some environmental bacteria can be transmitted into the food as a result of the bad hygiene of the open space and the exposure of the pot to the atmosphere. Bacteria such as Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Pseudomonas. These bacteria can cause illnesses such as food poisoning, skin infections as well as toxic shock syndrome. Immunocompromised individuals are highly at risk to these infections.
Now I wonder what they have bought with their money, FOOD OR POISON??? So you see, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
Eating safely cannot be overemphasized as it promotes healthy living and a healthy functioning immune system.
Hazards in food should be avoided to the minimal possible point and safety policies should be observed.