The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the quality of bread sold in markets, citing the use of saccharine as a substitute for sugar due to high costs.
This revelation came to light during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting in Ibadan on Friday, where NAFDAC Southwest Coordinator, Mrs. Roseline Ajayi, warned manufacturers and dealers against producing and selling substandard and fake products.
Ajayi disclosed that recent operations by the agency uncovered alarming practices, including patent medicine dealers selling restricted drugs and unregistered products. Additionally, some manufacturers were found to be non-compliant with packaging and storage standards.
NAFDAC urged water producers, patent medicine dealers, and other regulated product manufacturers to adhere to quality standards and halt the sale of fake and substandard products to protect public health.
“Recently, we observed that bread sold in the markets is failing laboratory tests because producers are using saccharine due to the high cost of sugar.
“They are introducing ingredients that are not good for the health of the consumers.
“We are not unmindful of the prevailing economic challenges, but the agency will not compromise its standards.
“It is pertinent to note that the quality and safety of regulated products cannot be compromised,” said.
Ajayi stressed that the stakeholders’ engagement meeting was aimed at fostering greater collaboration and support from relevant stakeholders, enabling the agency to effectively fulfill its mandate of protecting citizens’ health by ensuring the safety and quality of food, drugs, and other regulated products.
She added, “Within the last year, several regulatory decisions have been made.
“Some have been gazetted; these are meant to strengthen and sanitise the practices in the regulatory environment.
“All stakeholders must embrace the culture and requirements for good practices related to each sector to guarantee quality, safety and wholesomeness of regulated products available to the citizens,” she said.
Also speaking, Mr Moses Adewole, the Oyo State Director of Pharmaceutical Services, urged medicine sellers to restrict themselves to the scope of their expertise.
Speaking at the event, the Oyo State Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Mr Moses Adewole, emphasized the importance of medicine sellers operating within their scope of expertise. He also sternly warned against selling expired drugs, likening it to dispensing poison to the public.
In response, Mr. Oladimeji Shittu, Oyo State Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPMED), urged NAFDAC to establish the stakeholders’ engagement as a regular program to ensure timely updates on developments.
The meeting drew a diverse range of participants, including master bakers, chemical dealers, agro-input dealers, importers, supermarket operators, and manufacturers and distributors of regulated products, all of whom were encouraged to adhere to best practices and regulatory standards.
