The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, says it will no longer be business as usual as any drug hawker arrested by the agency will be prosecuted in accordance with the law no matter how highly placed.
The Director General, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye handed down the warning in a keynote address to the official launch of the Agency’s Media Sensitization workshop on “Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide” in Lagos.
Professor Adeyeye who expressed dismay at the indiscriminate ways in which drug hawkers display, sell, prescribe and advice on the use of such drugs, noted that it is not only shocking but dangerous to those who are gullible, buy and obey their instructions.
“How can a single drug treat more than five diseases without diagnosis, and people believe them. Drug Hawking poses danger to the healthcare delivery system ” Adeyeye said
Professor Adeyeye appealed for the support of the relevant security agencies in achieving the goals.
On the menace of Ripening of Fruits with Carbide, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye noted that Carbide contains poisonous substances that damages the body organs, adding that fruits ripened with chemicals are equally as dangerous to the body.
Professor Mojisola Adeyeye was represented by Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research in the agency, Dr Leonard Omokpariola.
Speaking to a paper on “Food Safety Concerns : unethical practices”, Mrs Eva Edward who is the Director, Good Safety and Applied Nutrition, noted that as it is, the world is growing rapidly and so, the population is increasing therefore food demand is rising
According to her, the pattern of global food consumption has also changed going by the complex food supply chains and food system transformation as being experienced worldwide. Hence people are into all sorts of sharp practices not minding the dangers inherent in such activities.
“Because people cut corners, consumers should be mindful of what they eat, be more vigilant, check expiry dates, ask questions where necessary and report unwholesome practices at the nearest NAFDAC office for immediate action “. Edward
“Food safety is everyone’s business and shared responsibility. Tampering with labelling and Changing of expiry dates are unethical and dangerous “.
She added that all hands must be on deck in the fight against the menace of the sale of unwholesome foods and drugs.
On “Dangers of Artificially Ripening Fruits with Calcium Carbides” Director Evaluation and Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola said, fruits could be rippened naturally without endangering the lives of people because fruits have their natural ripening ability.
“Once a fruit, plantain or banana mature and is harvested, once one of them is ripe, the rest ripen naturally. You can also wrap with cellophane bags, or any other bag or wrap in clothes in case you do not want to wait for long. These are better ways of ripening and not with carbides and chemicals” He explained.
Dr Omokpariola advocated more awareness in the language people understand to draw home the message.
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