Dust on Dinner Tables: Experts Warn Nigeria’s Roadside Food Drying Is a Silent Health Crisis

Across Nigeria’s highways and rural roads, cassava, maize, rice, beans, pepper and melon seeds are routinely spread out under the sun — a familiar sight that has quietly become a nationwide food safety concern.

From the South-West states of Ogun, Ondo and Oyo to Benue, Kogi and Niger in the North-Central; from Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi in the South-East to Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe in the North-East, roadside drying cuts across regions, cultures and crops. What many farmers see as a cheap, traditional preservation method, health experts describe as a dangerous pathway from dusty highways to household kitchens.

Vehicles speed past these makeshift drying grounds daily, lifting thick clouds of dust that settle directly on food meant for markets and family meals. Animals roam freely, bare soil contaminates produce, and experts warn that what appears normal has evolved into a silent national health risk.

Dust Is More Than Just Sand

Standing beside a busy road in a cassava-processing community, local garri processor Mrs Adebisi explained the logic behind the practice. “We don’t have space at home, and the sun is better near the road. We just spread it and watch it till evening,” she said.

But environmental health expert Sani John cautioned that roadside dust is far from harmless. “Dust from vehicles contains carbon, oil particles and sometimes heavy metals like lead. Once it enters food, washing later cannot remove everything,” he warned, noting that prolonged consumption can damage organs, weaken immunity and trigger stomach infections.

Animals, Bacteria and Toxic Moulds

At several drying sites, goats and chickens were seen walking across fermented cassava, rice and beans prepared for sale. Nutritionist Mrs Helen Okorie said animal contact introduces bacteria, worms and faeces, rendering such food unsafe.

“Many cases of diarrhoea, typhoid and intestinal worms come from unsafe processing,” she said, adding that fungi from bare ground can produce aflatoxins — toxic substances linked to liver cancer and impaired child growth.

Grains such as rice and beans, she noted, easily trap moisture and dirt, increasing the risk of mould and bacterial growth.

Stones in Rice, Danger on the Road

Beyond contamination, roadside drying also explains why consumers frequently complain about stones in rice and beans. Trader Mrs Fatima Kudu said dust and gravel blown by passing vehicles often mix with grains during drying and packaging.

Commercial driver Mr Ibrahim Lawal added that the practice creates road safety hazards. “Sometimes food spreads into the road. Drivers swerve to avoid it and accidents can happen,” he said.

The economic impact is equally damaging. Trader Mrs Funke Ade said buyers often reduce prices when they notice sand or dirt in garri. “We lose profit,” she lamented.

Hospitals Feel the Consequences

Community health workers say the effects are already showing up in clinics. In Osun State, Mrs Desola Dotun linked unsafe drying to rising cases of food poisoning and stomach illnesses.

“People think sickness starts in the kitchen, but it starts from the drying ground,” she said, stressing that food safety is a public health issue, not just an agricultural one.

Medical Director of Talakawa Pharmacy, Dr Fredrick Agbo, confirmed that roadside drying exposes food to bacteria, fungi, exhaust fumes and rodents. “We treat food poisoning, chronic stomach infections and even liver complications. The drying stage is often the hidden source,” he said.

Calls for Safer Alternatives

Experts and health officials are urging a shift to safer methods such as raised platforms, clean tarps, solar dryers, covered drying areas and proper storage. Nutritionists warn that repeated consumption of contaminated staples undermines immunity and child development, even when food appears well cooked.

Director of Public Health at the Niger State Ministry of Health, Dr Ibrahim Idris, warned that food dried along roadsides is easily contaminated by dust, birds and rodents. He advised thorough cooking and the use of protective mesh where sun-drying is unavoidable, noting that garri is often re-exposed to the sun and eaten without reheating.

Support, Not Blame

Agricultural extension officer Mr Peter Danjuma said farmers are not careless but lack alternatives. “Most rural processors don’t have drying platforms or solar dryers. With government and NGO support, roadside drying will reduce,” he said.

Mrs Adebisi echoed the concern: “We know dust enters it, but if we stop, our cassava will spoil. We need help, not punishment.”

Niger State Offers a Model

In Niger State, authorities have begun taking action. During a sensitisation programme in Mokwa organised by the Federal Government, Niger State, IFAD and the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), farmers were urged to abandon roadside drying.

Health worker Nurse Leah Hassana Yisa warned that the practice exposes food to stones, animal waste and carcinogens. Local council leaders pledged support, while religious leaders joined the campaign, with the Chief Imam of Mokwa, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim, declaring: “What you will not eat, don’t give to others.”

VCDP officials announced plans to provide tarps and cement floors, and farmers promised to change their practices.

A National Public Health Test

Observations show that roadside drying is not a single mistake but a chain of risk linking farmers, traders, transporters, regulators and consumers. Health experts warn that pollutants introduced during drying accumulate in the body over time, quietly turning Nigeria’s staple foods into long-term health threats.

Without nationwide support, regulation and education, experts fear that Nigeria’s highways will remain unofficial food-processing centres — and dust will continue to find its way onto dinner tables.