Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has made further clarifications on the controversies surrounding the discovery of cancer-causing substances in the chicken flavour of Indomie noodles by health authorities in Malaysia and Taiwan.
The agency, in a short message shared with PREMIUM TIMES by its Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, a professor, confirmed that indomie noodles remain banned in Nigeria.
Mrs Adeyeye said the products flagged by both Taiwan and Malaysian health authorities are not registered in Nigeria and so have nothing to do with the country. She, however, noted that the investigations being conducted are simply being cautious.
Also reacting to the development, the management of Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Noodles in Nigeria, has said its products are 100 per cent locally produced and are safe for consumption.
This newspaper had earlier reported that the Taiwan and Malaysian authorities had stopped the sale of the chicken flavour of the products following the detection of ethylene oxide, a substance known to cause cancer, in the product.
The health department in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, had said it detected ethylene oxide in two types of instant noodles, including the Indomie chicken flavour, following random inspections.
It said the detection of ethylene oxide in the product did not comply with standards.
Ethylene oxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is used to sterilise medical devices and spices and has been described as a cancer-causing chemical.
The Malaysian ministry said it had taken enforcement actions and recalled the affected products.
When contacted earlier, NAFDAC, in response to inquiries from this newspaper, said efforts were on to subject the product to further investigations in its laboratories but assured the public that such discovery made in Taiwan and Malaysia was yet to be confirmed in the products in Nigerian markets.
Meanwhile, Indofoods, an Indonesian company and maker of Indomie instant noodles, has denied the allegations noting that all its noodles are produced with standard certification.
