The National Agency for Food and Drug Adminstration and
Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians on the dangers involved in the
consumption of imported chicken and turkey.
No doubt, the consumption of imported chicken and turkey in Nigeria
is very popular in Nigeria. Even when the Nigerian government has banned
it in the economy, no one has been able to address the high level of
smuggling these consumables into the country.
However, the agency saddled with the responsibilities of regulating
foods and drugs has however come out to highlight and explain why
Nigerians must desist from eating the popular frozen chicken and turkey
which are common consumables in every Nigerian home. See the agency’s
Facebook post below:
NAFDAC Warns Against Consumption Of Imported Chicken, Turkey and other Poultry Products.
Although imported chickens and turkeys have become status symbol in
Nigeria, the National Agency for Food And Drug Administration And
Control (NAFDAC) has come out to strongly warned against the consumption
of imported or smuggled frozen poultry frozen meat, even as it has said
that imported poultry products, especially chicken and turkey have been
discovered to be causative factor in non- communicable diseases (NCDs)
and antibiotics resistance.
Although NCDs are non-infectious but they are deadly. Health
conditions under NCDs include cancer, kidney disease, and hypertension
among others.
NAFDAC Director General,Dr Paul Orhii, who gave the warning at media
briefing in Lagos, urged Nigerians to avoid imported smuggled chickens
and turkeys, because they have been found to contain substances that can
predispose one to kidney, liver and lung diseases as well as certain
types of cancers and drug resistance- bacterial infections.
At the briefing, a study, titled “Prevalence, Quality and
Acceptability of Frozen Poultry Meat in Major Cities in Nigeria” carried
out by experts from University of Ibadan titled “, was presented.
Although imported foreign chicken, turkey and along with other frozen
poultry meat have been banned by the Federal Government, some Nigerians
have cultivated the habit of smuggling the banned poultry products into
the country to the ‘delight’ of some Nigerians who do not know the
health implications of consuming such products.
Orhii said that patronising smuggled poultry foods do not only encourage economic sabotage, but also can damage peoples’ health.
Orhii added that the studies have found out that most of the smuggled
chicken into Nigeria contains high level of various deadly contaminants.
Orhii said: “Our studies have found that most of these smuggled chickens
or smuggled poultry products, may be because the way they are
transported or because they are not properly packaged, they contain some
contaminants.
It can be formaldehyde, at times it can be high level of antibiotics
residue and other contaminants like heavy metals. “And that is why we
are discouraging members of the public from consuming them.
We are particularly concerned about the high level of antibiotics
residue, because these can cause drug resistance, resistance to
antibiotics.”
Orhii added that NAFDAC would begin strict enforcement of the ban on imported poultry products.
The study, which Orhii referred to, was carried out Prof. Olumide Tewe
(lead researcher),Prof.S.S.Abiola (meat technologist), Dr.O.AAbu
(nutritional enzymologist), Dr.C.I.Alarima (agriculture extensionist),
Dr.O.A.Olabisi (public health specialist), Mr.S, Adelani (chief
technologist) and Mr. R. A. Aromoye (administrative assistant).
According to Tewe, a nutritional toxicologist, who led the research
team that discovered that foreign poultry products contain harmful toxic
substance, the sample for the study on “imported (smuggled) frozen
poultry carcasses were obtained from wholesalers and retailers in Lagos,
Ibadan, Port-Harcourt and Abuja,” and “analysed for heavy metals,
microbial status and meat quality parameters.”
The nutritional toxicologist said the analysed smuggled or imported
poultry food were found to be unsafe for consumption, adding that the
continuous consumption of imported chicken and turkey could damage the
human system on the long run, unlike poultry products produce locally,
which have been found to be safe for consumption. Tewe said: “Consumers
in the study area mostly consume chicken and turkey.
Other poultry meats consumed are duck, geese, guinea fowl and quail.
Sources of poultry meat sold is imported or smuggled poultry meat.
