NAFDAC Urges Nigerians to Shun Fruits Ripened with Calcium Carbide

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerians to shun fruits artificially ripened, describing them as dangerous to health.

The agency said it has found out that most fruits sold by fruit vendors were applied with calcium carbide to facilitate easy ripening, stating that such chemicals were dangerous to health.

The Director-General, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning in Awka, the Anambra State capital, at a sensitisation workshop on dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide, which was organised for health journalists.

Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, also warned against buying of bulk industrial food or food ingredients such as cornflakes, milk, oat and beverages that are not in packs.

According to her, “Most of the fruits you buy in the market are ripened artificially using calcium carbide.”

 These chemical is dangerous to the health of the individuals who consume them. The people must also shun food items not sold with their packs.

“These bulk items are openly displayed and measured to unassuming buyers with little or no care from contamination. This market practice is currently being addressed by NAFDAC through monitoring of the utilisation rate and capacity (installed) of end-users to block the gas/leakage of the non-retailed packaged product from being sold in our markets.

“The public is advised not to buy dangerous non-retailed packed items from the market to prevent the risk of taking contaminated, substandard, expired and adulterated food or food fraud with grave health implications.”

Other speakers, including the acting Director, NAFDAC South-east zone, Mr. Collins Ogedengbe; the Director, Investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC, Mr. Francis Ononiwu, and Leonard Omokpariola, also lamented that drug-hawking and ripening fruits have not only inflicted diseases and pains on people but also killed many as well.

In his opening remarks, the Director of Public Affairs, NAFDAC, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, stressed that objectives of the training were to recruit journalists to join the agency in sensitising the public on dangers and challenges posed by drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide, while there are natural ways of doing that for improved health.