Following allegations of a cancer-causing chemical found in the noodles and its non-registration, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the importation of Indomie noodles to Nigeria has been banned with immediate effect.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director-General, announced this in Abuja on Monday at a media briefing.
She said the product is on the Prohibition List of the Federal Government, adding that it was not registered by the agency and had been banned from being imported to Nigeria several years ago.
Persecondnews recalls that health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan recently detected ethylene oxide, a compound in Indomie’s “special chicken” flavour noodles.
Ethylene oxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is used to sterilise medical devices and spices and is said to be a cancer-causing chemical.
Malaysia ministry had announced that it examined 36 samples of instant noodles from different brands since 2022 and found that 11 samples contained ethylene oxide.
Both countries had since recalled the product.
Adeyeye said the agency would begin random sample tests of the noodles and other brands as from May 2.
“Tomorrow, May 2, 2023, NAFDAC’s food safety and applied nutrition directorate will randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while post-marketing surveillance directorate (will) samples from the markets,” she said.
“The compound of interest is ethylene oxide, so the director, food lab services directorate has been engaged. He is working on the methodology for the analysis,” Adeyeye, the Professor of Pharmaceutics, Manufacturing Science and Drug Product Evaluation, said.
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