Story from Najib SANI, Bauchi
The National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned farmers and food vendors to avoid unauthorised practices while processing and preserving foods they sell out so as not to endanger public health.
The Director-General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye represented by the director of planning and research, Mr Fori Tatami gave the warning on Tuesday during a sensitisation lecture organised by NAFDAC in Bauchi State.
He spoke on the dangers of drug abuse and COVID 19, enumerated some of those bad practices to include the use of potassium bonnet while baking bread, reddish dye in palm oil and spraying of pesticides on grains to preserve them.
According to the NAFDAC boss, others are using sniper to keep flies away from ‘kilishi’ (Dry meat), meat and fish by sellers and using formalin to preserve them, noting that they are detrimental to health.
He also asked fishermen to stop killing fishes in rivers with chemicals, cooks to avoid cooking meat with paracetamol, even as he advised that sick animals should not be slaughtered by butchers without taking them to veterinary clinics for treatment.
The NAFDAC boss noted that another bad habit observed by the society is the use of kerosene and petroleum tankers to carry vegetables adding that this should also stop in the best interest of public health.
“I also want to advise the general public to desist from buying drugs from street hawkers but from recognised pharmaceutical chemists. If they want to buy groundnut oil, they should buy the one registered by NAFDAC because it has undergone scrutiny”, he advised.
On babies’ wellbeing, the NAFDAC director advocated exclusive breastfeeding for six months pointing out that the milk is disease-free and contains water and all nutrients needed by the infant.
He explained that the sensitization would be conducted in nine states of the federation with lectures and rallies.
