The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified that it does not regulate fresh produce directly from farms, including yam, oranges and apples.
According to the agency, naturally grown agricultural produce falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, while NAFDAC regulates food products that have undergone processing or semi-processing.
The clarification was made by NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
“In terms of sister agencies, the civil service is amazing; people like to work in silos. ‘This is my turf, don’t go there.’ No, we are supposed to work corporately.
“For example, the National Food and Safety Policy said that produce from the farm is not under the control of NAFDAC. NAFDAC is in control of semi-processed products,” The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
Adeyeye explained that while fresh agricultural products are outside NAFDAC’s direct regulatory mandate, cooperation between relevant government agencies remains important because agricultural produce can eventually be processed into products that fall under NAFDAC’s jurisdiction.
“So, in the social media thing that we responded to, they said apples, NAFDAC; oranges, NAFDAC. No, that is under the Ministry of Agriculture, but we are supposed to work together because it is that produce that can be processed, which is under our control.
“So, when you take your oranges in the morning, you take your apple, that is not NAFDAC, but everything is about NAFDAC — yam is NAFDAC; fufu is NAFDAC. No,” Adeyeye, a professor, added.
NAFDAC Clarification Follows Osinbajo’s Viral Video
The NAFDAC chief’s comments came days after former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spoke in a viral video about an experience involving freshly squeezed orange juice prepared by his wife.
Osinbajo recalled that a laboratory test had reportedly found the juice unsafe for consumption after his wife began experiencing unusual headaches from drinking the fresh juice regularly.
He shared the experience while speaking at the Open Day for Gardeners’ seminar, themed “Leaving The Earth Better Than We Found It.”
The incident has added to growing public concerns about the possible presence of harmful chemicals in food products and agricultural produce.
Concerns Over Food Safety
There has been increasing concern in Nigeria over the use of potentially dangerous chemicals in the cultivation, processing and preservation of food items.
The concerns have extended to products and foods such as fruits, fufu and beans, prompting renewed discussions about food safety and the responsibilities of government agencies.
NAFDAC’s latest clarification highlights the distinction between fresh farm produce and processed food products, while stressing the need for government agencies to work together to protect consumers and improve food safety standards.
