The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down a bakery in Sokoto State for non-compliance with food safety regulations, especially the use of unfortified sugar, and banned potassium bromate to produce bread.
Mr. Garba Adamu, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC, disclosed that the agency’s officials, conducting a targeted enforcement exercise, caught the bakery during a surprise operation on Friday.
He said: “We discovered that the bakery was using saccharine, an unregistered foreign sugar, as a sweetener along with banned bromate in their productions.
“The items were seized for destruction, and the bakery is shut down until it complies with regulations and directives.”
Adamu emphasized that only sugar registered and fortified with Vitamin A, micronutrients, and other essential vitamins is acceptable for sale and consumption in Nigeria.
He said: “This is a federal government policy enforced by NAFDAC and other government agencies to ensure that consumers get the maximum nutritional and other health benefits from the products.
”Six other bakeries were also sanctioned for poor hygiene as enforcement officers led by Mr. Buhari Manzo scaled up the routine inspection visits to bakeries across the state.
“Bakeries are monitored to ensure that they don’t use saccharine or other banned items as a substitute for fortified, regulated ingredients.”
Adamu also warned manufacturers against using substandard, fake, unapproved, and expired ingredients in their facilities, emphasizing that NAFDAC will persist in conducting regular enforcement exercises.
He added that the agency plans to expand its operations to local government areas as part of its commitment to ensuring the sale of wholesome and safe food products for consumers.
Adamu urged the public to exercise caution when consuming food products and avoid purchasing unregistered items, encouraging them to report any suspected cases of adulteration, contamination, or illegal practices to NAFDAC.
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