NAFDAC Adopts Measures to Regulate Sale  of Industrial Foods in Open Market

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said it has put in place additional measures to curb the incidence of unbranded cereals and other food items of industrial sizes.
The food materials, it said, enter into the open markets from the warehouses of food manufacturing companies causing health hazards for the undiscerning consumers because of the mode of dispensing in unsanitary conditions.

The agency stated this at the end-of-year stakeholders open dialogue and feedback session with food manufacturing companies.
A statement by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola on yesterday, quoted the Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye,  as having said that going forward, the agency would be more critical with the process of issuing permits for importation of bulk food raw materials from 2024.

Adeyeye who was represented by the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs. Eva Edwards, said that the agency was concerned about the perennial problem of ubiquity of bulk food items that are found in the markets, possibly from the manufacturing plants or their suppliers, describing it as unacceptable.
The director general noted that the items enter the country because companies have applied to use them in the manufacture of their NAFDAC registered products.

She noted that the agency was concerned that such items were being sold in measures, scoops in the open markets, saying it was looking at the process of issuing permits for bulk food raw materials critically.
According to her, the agency had put in place additional measures for assessing and verifying the utilisation records of each company that applies for import permits to import bulk food raw materials.

“We don’t want to just see your stock cards, we want to know what you imported in the previous year. We want to know what you used because there are some calculations that we need to make, “ she explained.
Adeyeye further reminded the manufacturers that the agency knows the ingredients that are used in their products, adding that she had the opportunity to have one-on-one discussions with some companies and it was discovered that sometimes companies request far more than they require, because they feel that the quantities are going to be cut by the agency.

The NAFDAC boss however, emphasised that if the companies can show records of utilisation of the quantities requested in a previous cycle,  the agency will consider the quantity requested and grant approval. She said that what NAFDAC don’t want to see is the diversion into the open market.
“We don’t want people measuring milk and cereals in cups and measures in 2024. It is an unhygienic practice. It is not good for the general population in terms of food safety and hygiene,” he said.

She said that NAFDAC would continue to advocate for the support of her partners and stakeholders in the quest for better, safer, healthier, more nutritious food, adding that all Nigerians stand to benefit from this.
Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Technical Committee of the Association of Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Mr Fred Chiazor, commended NAFDAC for being proactive in responding to developments in the industry.

He noted that FSAN as a directorate sees the stakeholders as partners and not as criminals. “It is a directorate that wants improvement, and this is a win-win. We are happy that you are doing what you should be doing to grow the industries,” he stated.