Nigerians should avoid frozen poultry products and other foods preserved with formalin, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, a spokesman for NAFDAC, revealed this on Monday in Abuja, revealing that unscrupulous business people had been using formalin to preserve poultry items, particularly chicken and turkey.
He cautioned that formalin, a toxic substance that is commonly used to preserve corpses in mortuaries, is capable of keeping such goods for weeks before they reach customers.
“NAFDAC is raising awareness about this practice among Nigerians. Despite the Nigerian government’s prohibition, there are enough poultry items in the nation to avoid having to rely on frozen chicken smuggled in,” he added.
Dr. Jimoh also drew customers’ attention to the financial benefits of sponsoring smugglers of chicken goods into the nation.
According to him, if such patronage continues, local poultry farmers and marketers would not be able to develop as quickly as they would want since money spent on smuggled products will solely go to the items’ originators.
He went on to say that patronizing imported or illegal goods will continue to have an impact on Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.
Recall that NAFDAC has previously raised alarm over traders and farmers that uses poisonous chemicals to preserve foods.
According to the organization, kerosene and petrol tankers are being used to transport produce to markets, and farmlands are being sprayed with excessive chemicals.
NAFDAC has identified the growing cases of traders using formalin chemicals to preserve meat and fish in the markets, according to Adeyeye, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Fori Tatami.
Tatami stated that formalin is a substance that is used to preserve deceased bodies.
Adeyeye warned residents of Bauchi to be wary of tankers transporting vegetables to markets, encouraging them to report any suspicious activity to NAFDAC and other security officials.
She said that kerosine may taint crops and make people sick.
Another cause of worry, she added, was the use of human antibiotics on animals before they were slaughtered and sent to markets.
She did say, though, that the agency was working on measures to combat the threat.
She warned Nigerians to be careful of reddish palm oil on the market, warning that unscrupulous dealer are mixing in a hazardous chemical.
She also asked fruit merchants to refrain from harvesting fruits using pesticides, which might expose customers to cancer and other illnesses.
Adeyeye also urged people to refrain from purchasing narcotics from hawkers, claiming that such substances lose their effectiveness when exposed to sunshine and rain.
“When you stop patronizing drug peddlers, you are effectively driving them out of business,” she explained.
She warned traders against overusing chemicals that might cause diseases and fatalities, especially snippers in the preservation of delicacies like Kilishi.
