The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned Nigerians to be cautious of buying adulterated and contaminated foods in the markets. Adamu Abdullahi, the FCCPC acting Executive Vice Chairman, made this statement in Abuja on Thursday.
Abdullahi highlighted that some traders engage in various forms of adulteration without considering the health implications for consumers. He addressed this issue during a one-day sensitization event for traders, farmers, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the public, focusing on the forceful ripening of fruits, adulterated palm oil, and contaminated meat and grains.
He emphasized that the initiative aims to ensure a healthier society in line with President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.” Abdullahi noted that the FCCPC’s founding act empowers it to remove fake and adulterated products from the markets to protect consumers.
“We will go to the markets to sensitize the traders and educate the public and sellers that adulterated, fake products are not allowed in the markets, and if they see any, they have somewhere to report. We are going to markets in the states, the grassroots, and farms to find out the sharp practices going on and to ensure we get a healthier society in line with President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’. We have to ensure that the goods in the markets are according to the standard that they should be,” he said.
Femi Stephen from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare described adulteration as the addition of substandard substances with similar properties to the food they are mixed with. Stephen warned that palm oil is often adulterated with dye, lard (animal fat from pork), and transformer oil (paraffin), all of which pose various health risks.
Promise Ogbonna from the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) added that forceful fruit ripening is detrimental to health. She explained that calcium carbide, used for the forceful ripening of fruits, contains arsenic and phosphorus, which are carcinogenic.
Edozie Ugwu, the vice-president (North-Central) of the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), praised the FCCPC for the sensitization effort. Ugwu mentioned that many Nigerians have suffered severe health consequences due to food adulteration. He assured that market associations would collaborate with the FCCPC and other government agencies to ensure that laws penalize traders found guilty of such practices.