The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control says it has shut down a bakery in Sokoto State for using unfortified sugar and banned bromate.
The NAFDAC State Coordinator, Mr Garba Adamu, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday, revealed that the bakery was detected during a special raid by agency officials.
He explained, “We discovered that the bakery was using saccharine, an unregistered foreign sugar as a sweetener along with banned bromate in their productions.
“The items were seized for destruction and the bakery is shut down until it complies with regulations and directives.”
Adamu emphasised that only fortified registered sugar containing vitamin ‘A’ with micronutrients and other vitamins are allowed for sale and consumed in Nigeria.
He said, “This is a Federal Government policy enforced by NAFDAC and other government agencies to ensure that consumers get the maximum nutritional and other health benefits from the produced products.
” Six other bakeries were also sanctioned for poor hygiene as enforcement officers led by Mr Buhari Manzo scaled up the routine inspection visits to bakeries across the state.
” Bakeries are monitored to ensure that they don’t use saccharine or other banned items as a substitute to fortified regulated ingredients.”
The coordinator cautioned producers against using adulterated, counterfeit, unregistered and expired items in their facilities, reiterating that NAFDAC would continue enforcement at all times.
Adamu said the operation would be extended to local government areas as part of the agency’s efforts to ensure that hygienic food is sold as well right products are in circulation.
While reiterating the NAFDAC’s commitment to always safeguard the health of the nations, he called on the general public to be wary of patronising unregistered products and to always report any suspicious practices and contaminations to NAFDAC.
(NAN)
