The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced that the Indomie brand of noodles is banned from being imported into Nigeria just as it announced that it is investigating to certify that the locally produced brand is safe for consumption.
Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director General, in a message to Nigerians, said that the importation of Indomie noodles into Nigeria remains banned following the discovery of cancer-causing substances in the chicken flavour of the noodles by health authorities in Malaysia and Taiwan.
Adeyeye said the flagged products in the two countries are not registered in Nigeria and that the investigations being conducted by NAFDAC are simply being cautious.
“NAFDAC, as a responsible and responsive regulator, is taking swift actions to carry out random sampling and analysis of Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) for the presence of ethylene oxide, as well as extending the investigation to other brands of instant noodles offered for sale to Nigerians. We use this medium to assure the public that thorough investigation of the products will be conducted both at the factory and market levels and our findings will be communicated,” she said in a statement.
Earlier last week, the Taiwan and Malaysian authorities stopped the sale of the chicken flavour of some noodles products, including Indomie, following the detection of ethylene oxide, a substance known to cause cancer, in the products and the products did not comply with standards.
Ethylene oxide, a colourless and odourless gas, is used to sterilise medical devices and spices and has been described as a cancer-causing chemical.
The Malaysian ministry said it had taken enforcement actions and recalled the affected products.
The NAFDAC’s investigations which started on May 2 2023 will involve its Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) and Post Marketing Surveillance (PMS) conducting research at the production facilities and in the markets for the product.
