By Yusuf Boluwatife
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against mixing Azo-dyes with palm oil.
Azo-dyes are synthetic compounds containing an azo bond -N=N-, obtained mainly from the aromatic anime, substrate, nitro and nitroso, which according to the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, could increase the risk of cancer when mixed with palm oil.
She stated this at a sensitisation campaign in Lagos, on Tuesday.
Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director, Ports Inspection, NAFDAC, Prof. Samson Adebayo, said the Agency had embarked on sensitisation in eight states of the federation.
She said, “Public awareness campaign is one of the veritable regulatory mechanisms put in place by NAFDAC to promote and protect the health of our people. A well-informed, sensitised and educated citizenry is the bedrock of effective regulation.
“This is why today’s event is another major milestone in our bid to protect Nigerians against the deleterious effects of unwholesome food, falsified medical products, harmful cosmetics and other substandard regulated products.”
The NAFDAC DG also stated that the purpose of the sensitisation was to reinforce and expand the scope of the Agency’s informal and formal behaviour, change communication strategies in order to reach the vulnerable communities.
“There is the need to equally warn Nigerians against the use of Azo-dyes in palm oil which causes cancer, dangers of using sniper to preserve any type of food or to keep flies away from meat, the dangers of trans-fat and consumption of excessive oil.
“People must also be warned against the use of formalin on food and its associated health hazards, dangers of wrong use of pesticides and insecticides, wrong use of chemicals and its hazardous effects and problem of antimicrobial resistance arising from animal meat, among other,” Adeyeye added.
