Maggi Noodles: NAFDAC warns "greedy criminals" may ship "deadly" food into Nigeria
Maggi Noodles has been banned in India; and the manufacturers dragged to court for “unfair trade practices, false labelling and giving misleading advertisements.”
Indian authorities say it is not safe to eat the food.
There are fears some unscrupulous elements may be conniving with suspected smugglers to ship the dangerous staple into Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is warning.
“We hereby bring to the attention of the public that some Maggi noodle produced by Nestlé India contained excess lead and were therefore deemed unsafe and hazardous for human consumption,” NAFDAC said in a statement.
“Nestlé has recalled its Maggi instant noodles from stores across India following the report by the Indian Food Safety Regulators of probable lead contamination. Lead exposure causes an estimated 143,000 deaths a year worldwide.
“In view of the potential safety concerns on consumption of the lead contaminated Maggi instant noodles, NAFDAC warns that Maggi instant noodles produced by Nestlé India should not be consumed.
“Departmental stores, Wholesalers and retailers should also be proactive in ensuring that such products are brought to NAFDAC if they come across any, and under no circumstances should such products be sold.
Reports say Nestlé India, who manufactures the noodles, got into trouble after government tests found the food contained high levels of lead.
The noodles were also found to contain excess levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
The company did not state on the product label added MSG to the noodles.
Although MSG is naturally present in several food spices, excessive consumption of the substance poses grave risk to public health.
MSG and lead are notoriously called “silent killers” because of the way they build up in the body and “take people down later in life.”
In the wake of the revelations, millions of cartoons of Maggi Noodles were taken down from stores and super markets in India.
There are fears some greedy “criminals” may be planning on flooding Nigerian markets with the apparently deadly product.
“They may soon flood Nigerian markets with the product,” a NAFDAC source told Newsroom on Tuesday.
“Although we are prepared to deal with this eventuality, we fear they may bring in the food in the guise of a new product, and under a different name.
“We urge Nigerians not to buy or sell noodles that have no NAFDAC number.”
Nestlé India had, however insisted Maggi Noodles was safe for consumption after allegations of foul play surfaced in June.
The company said it did not “add MSG to Maggi Noodles, and glutamate, if present, may come from naturally occurring sources”.
“We are surprised with the content supposedly found in the sample as we monitor the lead content regularly as a part of the regulatory requirements,” it said in a statement.
Nestlé India also insist the amount of lead in the noodles is not hazardous to the human body.
The company has been dragged to court in India with the next hearing adjourned till September 30.
