Nigeria’s Food and Drug Control Agency Denies Issuing Bread Warning

Nigeria’s food and drug control agency denies issuing bread warning

IN SHORT: Social media posts circulating in Nigeria claim that the country’s food and drug control agency has raised the alarm about bread sold in markets. However, the agency has distanced itself from the claim.

Nigeria’s food and drug control agency has warned against consuming bread sold in markets, claims a message circulating on Facebook since 19 August 2024.

“Think twice when you are munching that Bread, you might be munching away your life and that of your loved ones. According to NAFDAC, Bread sold in Nigeria markets failing laboratory tests,” it says.

Nafdac is Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

The post claims that Roseline Ajayi, Nafdac’s southwest coordinator, issued the warning allegedly because “producers are using saccharine due to the high cost of sugar” and “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.”

Another post reads: “NAFDAC ALERTS US ABOUT THE DANGERS IN EATING BREAD!!!”

Other such posts can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

Bread is a staple food in Nigeria. Families who can’t afford proper meals often opt for bread, which is cheaper. A warning like this from Nafdac can cause panic.

But what’s the real story here?

Bread warning reports ‘do not reflect the agency’s observation’

Nafdac is a government agency that regulates and monitors the safety of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, and other products in Nigeria.

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Africa Check read Ajayi’s comments at a stakeholder engagement on 16 August. She did not warn Nigerians to avoid bread or raise any alarm about bread sold in the markets.

On 27 August, the agency tweeted a statement distancing itself from the “misleading statements”.

“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) is aware of a video circulating on social media, which falsely claims that the Agency has raised concerns about bread safety in Nigeria.

“The video, which suggests that Nafdac advised Nigerians to avoid bread due to the use of saccharine by some producers, does not reflect the observations of NAFDAC during the stakeholders’ engagement on 16 August 2024 in Ibadan, Oyo State,” the statement reads.

“The Agency emphasises that at no point did it advise Nigerians to avoid bread produced in the country.”

Moji Adeyeye, the director general of Nafdac, said that the Nigerian Industrial Standard and the Codex General Standard for Food Additives prohibited the use of saccharin in bread. Any baker found using unauthorised additives such as saccharin would be sanctioned.

“We strongly dissociate ourselves from the misleading statements in the video and reassure the public that NAFDAC remains committed to its role in safeguarding the health of the nation,” Adeyeye added.

The same claim was also posted here, here, here, here, here and here.

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