FCCPC Warns Against Contaminated Foods Flooding Consumer Markets in Nigeria

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned and raised alarm over the increase of contaminated and adulterated foods in Nigerian markets.

According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the acting Executive Vice-chairman of FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi, said that some traders engaged in various forms of adulteration without considering consumers’ health implications.

Abdullahi disclosed in Abuja on Thursday, during a one-day sensitisation for traders, farmers, civil society organisations, and the public, on the forceful ripening of fruits, adulterated palm oil, contaminated meats, and grains.

The move (sensitisation) would ensure a healthier society in line with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda,’ says Abdullahi.

He further cited the Acts establishing the FCCPCFC, which allowed it to evacuate fake and adulterated products from the markets to prevent consumers from buying them.

We are going into markets in states, the grassroots, and farms to ensure that the goods are according to the standard they should be,’ he said.

However, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representative at the event, Femi Stephen, described the adulteration process as adding substandard substances of the same properties to the food.

Stephen cited health implications linked to adulteration, such as nausea, brain damage, stomach disorder, and difficulty in breathing, among others.

He also urged farmers to seek experts’ opinions on the usage of pesticides to avoid food contamination.

Also, Promise Ogbonna of the National Agency for Food, Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC) shared the same concerns with Stephen, one that forceful ripening of fruits is detrimental to health.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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