The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced that it will begin random sampling of Indomie Pasta, including seasonings from manufacturing facilities. This follows the recent discovery of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent, found in Indomie noodles by authorities in Taiwan and Malaysia.
Professor Mozisola Adeyeye, director of the agency, announced this in a statement and explained that the compound of interest was ethylene oxide, adding that the Director of the Food Lab Services has started the research study and the directorate is working on the methodology for analysis.
According to Prof. Adeyeye,
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. What we are doing 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.
However, the director promised to keep Nigerians duly updated with the outcomes of the investigation.
According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, ethylene oxide is a colourless, highly reactive and flammable gas widely used as an intermediate in producing various chemicals.
WHO, in a report, noted that findings from animal investigations, test systems, and epidemiological findings suggested an increase in the incidence of human cancer.
The report stated that individuals should consider ethylene oxide as a probable human carcinogen and keep its levels in the environment as low as feasible.
cc: Punch Ng
