The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians to be wary of carbide ripen fruits, because it causes cancer, reports ITREALMS.
Adeyeye, who was represented at the workshop by the Director, Chemical and Research at NAFDAC, Mr. Patrick Omokpariola, said that naturally ripen fruits are good sources of vitamins.
She also said that naturally ripen fruits contain minerals that play important role in the lives of human beings.
She decried the use of calcium carbide for ripening of fruits and called for certification of its usage in the country.
Drug hawkers, Adeyeye said, are threats to national security and warned that any one arrested must be prosecuted.
NAFDAC enforcement team, she said, are in the field and sought the corporation of of other federal and state institutions, especially the security agencies.
Adeyeye insisted that fruit artificially ripen is dangerous to health.
“Carbide ripen fruits can cause cancer, sleep disorder, brain enlargement, etc,” she cautioned.
Equally speaking, the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) at NAFDAC, Dr. (Mrs) Eva Edwards, lamented increase in food borne diseases.
As said by her, an estimated 600 million cases exist on food borne illnesses annually according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Edwards attributed the rise in food borne illnesses to some tampering and mislabeling revalidation of expired food spices.
She revealed that NAFDAC recently impounded ‘Ponmo’ with street value at N25.3 million, even as seven merchants were arrested.
The director emphasised that everyone has right to good health, hence “food safety is not negotiable.”
In his welcome remarks, the Director, Public Affairs of NAFDAC, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh said that the workshop was the second in series to sensitise media on looming dangers by the agency.
The first, he said, was focused on ‘dangers of bleaching creams and its effects’ and pledged that the agency resolved to continue to partner media for public good.
Nigerians, he lamented, die due to drugs in wrong hands like kidnappers and expressed optimism that only media could adequately amplify the menace of drug hawkers and use of carbide to ripen fruits to all corners and crannies of the country.
Speaking also, the President of the Association of Health Journalists of Nigeria, Mr. Hassan Zaggi, applauded NAFDAC for the workshop.
He pointed out that every media has its audience and urged media especially health journalists to do their best at ensuring eradication of drug hawking in our society and fruits ripened by chemicals through education of the populace.
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