The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down a bakery in Sokoto for using unfortified sugar and banned bromate.
The NAFDAC State Coordinator, Mr Garba Adamu, told newsmen on Friday that the bakery was identified during a special raid conducted by agency officials.
“We discovered that the bakery was using saccharine, an unregistered foreign sugar, as a sweetener along with banned bromate in their productions,” Adamu said. “The items were seized for destruction, and the bakery is shut down until it complies with regulations and directives.”
Adamu emphasized that only fortified registered sugar containing vitamin A, micronutrients, and other vitamins are allowed to be sold and consumed in Nigeria.
“This is a Federal Government policy enforced by NAFDAC and other government agencies to ensure that consumers get the maximum nutritional and health benefits from the produced products,” he stated.
The coordinator also revealed that six other bakeries were sanctioned for poor hygiene. Enforcement officers, led by Mr. Buhari Manzo, have scaled up routine inspection visits to bakeries across the state.
“Bakeries are monitored to ensure that they don’t use saccharine or other banned items as substitutes for fortified regulated ingredients,” Adamu added.
He cautioned producers against using adulterated, counterfeit, unregistered, and expired items in their products, reiterating NAFDAC’s commitment to continuous enforcement.
Adamu mentioned that the operation would be extended to local government areas as part of the agency’s efforts to ensure hygienic food is sold and the right products are in circulation.
He called on the general public to be wary of patronizing unregistered products and to report any suspicious practices and contaminations to NAFDAC. He reiterated the agency’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the nation’s health.
