National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Following the ongoing investigations of the ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ Indomie Instant Noodles which the Malaysian and Taiwan governments have flagged as carcinogenic, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Nigeria has extended its probe to other brand.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye assured that the Indomie instant noodles products and other brands of noodles registered by the agency for sale in the Nigerian market were safe for consumption.
Prof Adeyeye said the agency was extending the investigation to other brands of instant noodles offered for sale to Nigerians.
She noted that the agency’s Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Post Marketing Surveillance would investigate the production facilities and the market respectively.
“We use this medium to assure the public that a thorough investigation of the products will be conducted both at the factory and market levels and our findings will be communicated.”
She reiterated that the Indomie instant noodles products and other brands of noodles registered by the agency are granted NAFDAC registration status following a strict regulatory regime covering all aspects of Good Manufacturing Practice.
“The Ports Inspection Directorate is also on heightened alert to guard against the importation of the implicated product into Nigeria,” Adeyeye said.
Health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan recalled the “special chicken” flavour noodles saying they had detected a compound called ethylene oxide in the noodles. The implicated indomie flavour is produced by Indofood.
According to the National Cancer Institute, ethylene oxide is a flammable colourless gas with a sweet odour at room temperature. It is used primarily to produce other chemicals, including antifreeze.
“In smaller amounts, ethylene oxide is used as a pesticide and a sterilizing agent. The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilizing agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity,” the NCI said.
(PUNCH)
