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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the safety of bread sold in Nigerian markets, revealing that many products are failing laboratory tests due to using saccharine, a sugar substitute.
This alarming trend stems from the high cost of sugar, which forces producers to cut corners and potentially endanger consumer health.
Mrs Roseline Ajayi, NAFDAC's Southwest Coordinator, issued a stern warning during a stakeholders' engagement meeting in Ibadan on Friday.
She emphasised that the agency remains committed to upholding its standards despite manufacturers' economic challenges.
"Recently, we observed that bread sold in the markets is failing laboratory tests because producers are using saccharine due to the high cost of sugar," Ajayi stated.
"They are introducing ingredients that are not good for the health of the consumers. We are not unmindful of the prevailing economic challenges, but the agency will not compromise its standards. It is pertinent to note that the quality and safety of regulated products cannot be compromised."
NAFDAC cautioned water producers, patent medicine dealers, and other regulated product manufacturers against selling fake and substandard goods.
The agency's recent operations uncovered that some patent medicine dealers were distributing restricted drugs and unregistered products while certain manufacturers failed to meet packaging and storage standards.
Atiku's aide slams NAFDAC's complacency
In response to the NAFDAC report, Phrank Shaibu, senior assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, expressed his concern on social media, questioning the government's response to the crisis and sarcastically highlighting the lasting freshness of bread since the current administration took office.
"@NafdacAgency are u whining us? Are u not aware that @officialabat is the key to everlasting freshness in BREAD?…bread has refused to go bad since he came to power! …No laboratory tests required—simply place a loaf on your dining table for four weeks, and behold, it remains unaltered, defying the passage of time itself.
"When bread makers voiced their forex woes last November, did the government heed their call? Surely, an esteemed agency such as yours ought to have envisioned the inevitability of manufacturers resorting to copious amounts of preservatives to sustain their enterprises. Before long, whispers will morph into declarations, accusing @atiku,@peterobi, #Igbo, and #Northerners of orchestrating this saga," he wrote.