The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said there is no presence of ethylene oxide or its metabolite in noodles and their seasonings produced in Nigeria.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojosola Adeyeye, made this known during a press conference in Lagos on Thursday after an extensive investigation by the agency.
Naija News reports that NAFDAC’s investigation was based on the alarm by the Ministries of Health in Malaysia and Taiwan that Indomie Instant Noodles ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ contains the presence of ethylene oxide, a compound associated with an increased risk of cancer.
The NAFDAC boss said samples drawn from production facilities and trade were properly packaged and delivered in good condition to the agency’s Central Laboratory in Lagos for analysis.
Adeyeye said the findings of the investigation into the presence of ethylene oxide or its metabolite in noodles and seasoning produced in the country show that they are safe for consumption.
She said: “Samples of chicken-flavored instant noodles of various brands and the seasonings were drawn from the production facilities across the country.
“This was to ensure that the investigation was robust, covering other instant noodles brands manufactured in Nigeria, besides Indomie, the implicated brand.
“The Post Marketing Surveillance Division also visited markets/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. The level of Mycotoxin and heavy metals was within the internationally acceptable limit. Therefore, the noodles made in Nigeria are very safe to eat.
“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.”
Adeyeye said NAFDAC deployed the technique using Gas Chromatography with a Mass Spectrometry detector and a total of 114 samples of instant noodles and seasonings were received.
She said the agency did not only analyze for ethylene oxide and its derivative 2-chloroethane in the noodles and seasonings but also analyzed for other contaminants such as mycotoxins and heavy metals in the samples.
Adeyeye said the delay in the analytical activities in the laboratory was not deliberate as they had to place orders for the procurement and supply of certified reference materials, reagents, and chemicals from overseas.