NAFDAC deny asking Nigerians to avoid bread

Our reporter/ The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Tuesday denied ever asking Nigerians not to eat bread.

In a statement on Tuesday, Moji Adeyeye, the NAFDAC DG labelled as false, a video circulating on social media, which claims that the agency has raised concerns about bread safety in Nigeria.

“The video which suggests that NAFDAC advised Nigerians to avoid bread due to the use of saccharine by some producers, does not reflect the observations of NAFDAC during the stakeholders’ engagement on August 16, 2024, in Ibadan, Oyo State,” she said.

Adeyeye clarified that the use of saccharine in bread is not permitted under the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) and the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA).

“Any baker found using unapproved additives like saccharine will be sanctioned according to the extant regulatory provisions,” she warned.

“The Agency emphasises that at no point did it advise Nigerians to avoid bread produced in the country,” she stressed.

“We strongly dissociate ourselves from the misleading statements in the video and reassure the public that NAFDAC remains committed to its role in safeguarding the health of the nation.”