Food and animal expert, has stated that the consumption of animal blood as meat, especially from diseased animals, could lead to another outbreak of anthrax, among other zoonotic diseases.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, the President of the Consumer Advocacy for Food Safety and Nutrition Initiative, Prof Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, stated that the consumption of animal blood as meat puts the eaters at risk of blood-borne illnesses.
The don also said that the handling, processing and preservation of the animal blood as meat further raised food safety concerns.
He said, “Consuming animal blood as meat can have severe health risks, including exposure to blood-borne illnesses.
Although blood is a good source of protein and iron, its safety as a human food is still an issue of concern. Its safety depends on many factors in the handling process (from the farm to the abattoir to the final Plate), that is, right from the rearing of the animal, its nutrition and health, how the blood is collected when slaughtered, how the blood is processed into a meal, and how it gets to the final consumers.
“Some people drink the raw blood; some dry it, while some cook it and allow it to curdle, and so on. As beef, fish, chicken, and raw eggs have been associated with foodborne illnesses, blood meals would also have to be considered potentially unsafe in this environment, as the product may carry similar foodborne illness and food poisoning risks.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2023, confirmed the Anthrax outbreak in a mixed livestock farm in Niger State.
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria and can affect both humans and animals.
It can be transmitted through the consumption of raw, undercooked meat and other products of the affected animals.
Zoonosis, according to the World Health Organisation, is an infectious disease that is transmitted, from animals to humans.
The WHO states that there are over 200 types of zoonoses, comprising a large percentage of new and existing diseases in humans.
According to an animal feed resources information system, Feedipedia, blood collected during the slaughter of various livestock species such as cattle, pigs, and chickens, under a wide range of conditions, is dried through solar, oven, drum, flash and spray drying.
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