The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says Nigeria’s locally produced Indomie noodles is safe for human consumption.
The agency said the noodles are without ethylene oxide.
According to NAFDAC, “Ethylene oxide is a colourless and odourless gas that is used to sterilise medical equipment and plastics. It is said to be a cancer-causing chemical”.
In March, health officials in Malaysia and Taiwan said they had detected ethylene oxide in Indomie’s special chicken flavour noodles.
Following the development, the agency’s director general (DG), Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency would begin random sample tests of the noodles from May 2.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday, the NAFDAC DG, said the agency have conducted analysis on the product.
Adeyeye said samples of chicken flavoured instant noodles of various brands and the seasonings were drawn from the production facilities across the country
She said the exercise was to ensure that the investigation was robust and cover other instant noodles brands manufactured in Nigeria, besides Indomie.
NAFDAC boss said the agency also visited markets and retail outlets in the major cities of Lagos, Abuja, and Kano and drew samples of instant noodles for laboratory analysis.
“The market visits served as surveillance for the presence of the Taiwan and Malaysian special chicken noodles in the Nigerian market,” she said.
“The samples drawn from production facilities and trade were properly packaged and delivered in good condition to our central laboratory, Oshodi, Lagos, where analytical activities commenced immediately in accordance with international standards and methods of analysis.
“The technique using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detector was deployed.
“A total of 114 samples of instant noodles and the seasonings were received—Lagos, 24; Abuja and Kano 16 respectively.
“We did not only analyze for ethylene oxide and its derivative 2-chloroethanol in the noodles and seasonings; we also analysed for other contaminants such as mycotoxins and heavy metals in the samples.
“Ethylene oxide or its derivative was not found in any of the instant noodles produced in Nigeria and their seasonings.
“The level of mycotoxin and the heavy metals were within the internationally acceptable limit. Therefore, the noodles made in Nigeria are very safe to eat.”
