June 6, 2018

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday cautioned Nigerians against the consumption of unwholesome foods.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye gave the warning when she received a delegation from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Abuja in her office.

According to her, the rising cases of kidney problems in the country can be linked to the kind of foods people consume.

“The traditional belief which people have that blood burns out some toxic element contained in foods after consumption is not true.

“Sometimes, people underestimate the damage some food can cause to them;

“That is why we are sensitising Nigerians against the use of carbide to ripen fruits and other campaigns against unwholesome food products.

“Apart from food and water, safety on drugs is equally very important; this features in the campaign against restricted drugs such as codeine and tramadol,’’ she said.

Adeyeye said that the toxicological effects of drug abuse caused a lot of damage to people who took them.

The director-general pledged to support the department, especially on research and on its forthcoming international conference.

Earlier in her remarks, the leader of the delegation, Prof. Florence Nwinyi said that they were at the NAFDAC office to invite the agency to participate in the upcoming international conference on “Toxicological Concerns in Developing Nations’’.

Nwinyi said that the conference would hold from July 3 to July 6, by the university in collaboration with the West African Society of Toxicology.

She said that the participation of NAFDAC was relevant because of its mandate in ensuring safety of food and drugs in  the country.

“Challenges and opportunities in the management of lead poisoning in developing countries is one of the issues that will be discussed during the conference.

“We solicit NAFDAC’s support for the success of the conference,’’ she said.