That the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has banned the importation of Indomie noodles into the country is no longer news.
What is perhaps the news is that the ban on Indomie noodles has affected the sales of other noodles such as Chiken Chiken, Golden Penny, Minime, Honey Well Noodles.
Most consumers refer to all the noodles as ‘Indomie”and this has affected the sales of other noodles as Nigerians shunned the noodles over fear of being afflicted by cancer.
Some consumers that spoke with NATIONAL WAVES said that they stopped eating Indomie noodles and every other noodles since the news broke that it contains ethylene oxide, a cancer causing agent, in the product.
Lucky Ejirooghene told NATIONAL WAVES that Indomie noodles was his favourite and could not do without it in a day until yesterday when NAFDAC said the Indomie had been banned. For the first time, I practically stayed away form Indomie.
Hajia Fati Mahmood who lives in Abuja, told this medium that she was scared to eat Indomie since the product was banned by NAFDAC. ” You don’t expect me to consume what will affect my health” she said.
Recall that The Director General of the Agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, stated in an interview with journalists, on Monday that Indomie noodles had been banned.
The Nigerian regulatory body took the action amid investigation by Taiwan and Malaysia authorities which reportedly discovered ethylene oxide, a cancer causing agent, in the product.
According to the NAFDAC boss, the compound of interest was ethylene oxide said already the Director of Food Lab Services Directorate has been engaged and has started working on the methodology for the analysis.
“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,” she asked rhetorically
She, however, promised that Nigerians will be duly updated with the outcome of the investigation.
The agency said it will begin random sampling of indomie noodles including the seasoning from the production facilities from Tuesday.
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