Photo: Adeyeye, left, Tinubu, right.
FG lifts ban on Indomie noddles consumption
The Federal Government has lifted the ban on the sale and consumption of Indomie noodles in the country.
The government also assures consumers of the safety of all brands of Indomie Noodles produced in the country.
Olusayo Akintola, the resident media consultant, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) who announced this in Abuja said it was now safe to consume the product.
Akintola said that the approval was given by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, during the agency’s quarterly interactive session with the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) held in Lagos.
The DG particularly assured of the safety of the staple food consumed mostly among children and some adults, adding that they needed not entertain fear while consuming it.
Akintola said that the agency had found out that the Indomie noodles produced in Nigeria were not implicated in the recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan, and implored Nigerians to always eat safe.
“NAFDAC officials went around and took samples from the market, adding that there were suitcase importers that could have brought such products into the country without the knowledge of the agency.
“The agency did not ban the importation of Indomie during the recent Taiwan and Malaysia episode where many people died after consuming Indomie Noodle.
“Noodles generally had been banned by the Federal Government many years before I assumed office as DG NAFDAC, with the aim of protecting the local manufacturing sector,” Adeyeye was quoted as saying.
The NAFDAC boss also stressed that the implicated foreign noodles were not in Nigeria, hence, the locally produced noodles were safe for human consumption.
“We are improving on what will make our people healthier. Whatever we put into our food will affect us. Whether positively or otherwise,’’ Adeyeye said.
The DG however, urged Nigerian manufacturers to strive to bring quality into their products, stressing that quality would create the opportunity to trade globally as Nigeria’s market is the largest in Africa.
Akintola further said that Adeyeye disclosed that regulatory agencies of several countries had been coming to NAFDAC to make enquiries about bringing their goods to sell in Nigeria.
She, therefore, urged MAN to take advantage to generate foreign exchange for the nation’s economy.
Akintola added that Adeyeye also urged MAN to take the bull by the horns with the Food, Beverage, and Tobacco sector and the Chemical and Pharmaceutical sector to take the lead.
“Nigeria can lead Africa in terms of trade with its effort,”Adeyeye added.