NAFDAC office in Lagos (file photo)
‘There are many other food items that are harmful to health and that is why, I, as a concerned consumer, is calling on NAFDAC to beam its searchlight on other food items like some canned food and frozen fish or ice fish’
By Mohammed Usman
A dietician, Mrs. Cecilia Momoh, has appealed to the National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to extend its searchlight beyond Indomie noddles, as other imported and locally produced food items could contain chemicals harmful to Nigerian consumers.
This is coming against the backdrop of fear of Indomie noodles said to have contained cancerous chemical.
Momoh in an interview in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday said, “There are many other food items that are harmful to health and that is why, I, as a concerned consumer, is calling on NAFDAC to beam its searchlight on other food items like some canned food and frozen fish or ice fish.
“Notwithstanding the harmful effects, some of the food and condiments are hardly vetted by NAFDAC. These included ‘ice fish’, which come in different categories or brands, sizes and qualities. NAFDAC is supposed to scrutinize all of these so that they (importers and manufacturers) don’t see Nigeria as a dumping ground for substandard food items.
Also read: When stakeholders converged, agreed on hike in SSBs tax to save live
“For instance, dealers in iced fish will tell you that this is original while the other one they call it, campala and the cost of the original is always higher.
“My take is this, why importing or even display the fake one if they know that it is harmful to the health of Nigerians?”
She also alleged that many of the products were being re-bagged, re-packaged by the dealers even after expiration and this as well causes cancer and other health challenges which can be checked if NAFDAC is really ready to eradicate harmful products, Momoh said.
Expressing sadness that the good old days of the late Dr. Dora Akunyili as the DG of NAFDAC were gone because she used to give importers and producers nightmares, Momoh said many producers cut corners and even add things that are harmful to the heart in their mixes.
Momoh lamented, “Today in Minna, the state capital in particular, some sachet water contain particles, some have offensive odour and taste while others are produced under most unhygienic condition and could cause health risks, stressing, why is NAFDAC not doing their jobs?”
valoa2000@yahoo.com
