NAFDAC Warns Nigerians About Dangerous Palm Oil and Fufu

(NAFDAC DG, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye. Photo Credit: Vanguard News)

The food and drug regulator says it doesn't have full control over unbranded palm oil and fufu sold in open markets, raising concerns about what people are buying.

NAFDAC's director general, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency received 225 complaints about suspected fake and unsafe products in August.

She gets over 200 complaints every month about products that could be counterfeit or dangerous.

Adeyeye wants Nigerians to report problems through official NAFDAC channels instead of just posting on social media.

She said counterfeiters live in communities and neighbourhoods, and reporting helps the agency investigate properly.

Social media complaints alone don't prove a product is fake or unsafe, she stressed, saying scientific testing is what matters.

She raised alarm about palm oil being mixed with dangerous dyes and harmful chemicals, especially the kind sold traditionally in markets.

Fufu and other staple foods are also being produced with bleach and other toxic chemicals, she said.

The problem is NAFDAC doesn't have direct oversight of these traditionally packaged foods sold in open markets.

So she's asking local governments and other authorities to strengthen their monitoring and enforcement in their areas.

Adeyeye also clarified that imported fruits like apples and oranges fall under another agency, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, not NAFDAC.

She said different government agencies need to work together better to keep Nigerians safe.