The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of some smuggled tomato pastes in the market, because they are harmful to health, and contain toxic ingredients.
The acting Director General (DG), NAFDAC, Dr. Monica Eimunjeze, made this call in Lagos, at the media sensitization workshop organized by NAFDAC for journalists on regulatory control programs and the dangers of certain products.
She noted that the agency organized the event to engage the media in educating members of the public on the dangers of products that have not been subjected to regulatory review. She explained that NAFDAC is determined to safeguard the health of the nation and cannot guarantee the contents and safety of such products.
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Eimunjeze urged people to avoid these products for their own benefit, stating that Nigerians should know that those products would harm them and could affect their long-term health, adding that the Federal Government had banned the importation of tomato paste into the country.
“We discovered seven warehouses in Lagos, where tomato paste products, without a NAFDAC number on their packs.” “We have made an arrest, and the investigation is ongoing.”
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“We have regulatory control over these products.” “We register products, as part of regulatory requirements to reevaluate every product in the country.” She said,
The Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research at NAFDAC, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, on his own warned Nigerians to be careful with unapproved products such as bleaching cosmetic products, as many of them have dangerous effects, and impacts on the body.
“These harmful products make skin lighter, and they have lots of toxic effects because they continue to accumulate in the body until the skin is damaged.” Omokpariola added
