NAFDAC begins sampling of Indomie noodles over cancer-related substance
By Joy Obakeye
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has commenced random sampling of indomie noodles today over concerns of cancer-rated substance.
The regulatory agency, in a statement on Monday, confirmed the ban on the importation of indomie noodles and stressed that the foreign product is one of the foods on the government prohibition list.
The statement signed by the Director General of the Agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed that both lab and market sampling will be carried out to validate claims of illegal importation of the product
“NAFDAC’s Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate will randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate samples from the markets,” the statement read in part.
“The compound of interest is ethylene oxide, so the Director of, Food Lab Services Directorate has been engaged. He is working on the methodology for the analysis.
“It should be noted that Indomie noodles have been banned from being imported into the country for many years. It is one of the foods on the government prohibition list. It is not allowed in Nigeria, and therefore not registered by NAFDAC.”
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The NAFDAC DG noted that the investigation is an extra caution to ensure that the product is “not smuggled in, and if so, our post-marketing surveillance would detect it.
“We also want to be sure that the spices used for the Indomie and other noodles in Nigeria are tested. That is what NAFDAC Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) and Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) are doing this week at the production facilities and in the market, respectively.
The agency urged the public not to panic and will be duly updated with the outcomes of the investigation.
