Lagos uncovers illegal tomato paste recanning factory, arrests two
EVEN as the killer teething powder, MyPikin, controversy rages, the Lagos State government has discovered another illegal factory repackaging tomato pastes in Ayobo, a suburb in Ipaja in the Alimoso council of the state.
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The state's Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this while briefing journalists yesterday on the activities of his ministry during the out-going year and the way forward, named the tomato paste being repackage as Tasty Top Tomato. He added that the task force on health, which carried out the operation based on a tip-off, also arrested two people at the ramshackle building where the repackaging was done.
Idris further disclosed that 20, 000 cans of the repackaged tomato paste were seized from the factory while efforts were on to locate and equally seize the cans that have already been taken into the market, adding that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has been alerted.
In a statement signed by Hakeem Bello, Senior Special Assistant to the governor, the Commissioner warned members of the public to be conscious of the products they buy in the market, especially at this festive season, adding that his ministry has redoubled its regulatory efforts to ensure the safety of products being sold in the state in order to forestall any health disaster.
Recalling the reported incident of over 23 people dying recently in a locality in the state as a result of their consumption of the local gin called Ogogoro, the Commissioner, who said NAFDAC was invited into the matter, disclosed that the dangerous chemical, which caused the death of the consumers of the gin was industrial alcohol, adding that the factory was immediately closed down.
He hinted that the state government may soon turn its attention towards the various eateries in the state with a view to regulating the kind of junk foods they sell to members of the public, adding that this was in line with best practices in other parts of the world.
According to him, the purpose is to forestall the spread of various terminal ailments like cancer, diabetes, renal failure and heart-related diseases, among such other diseases, which develop from intake of such foods. Killer tin tomato floods market
Written by Olasunkanmi Akoni, Victor Ahiuma-Young, Adeyemi Ogundele & Pamela Alimonu
Friday, December 5, 2008
WITH the nation yet to get over the large number of death of children caused by My Pikin Teething Mixture, the Lagos State government has impounded over 20,000 cans of an alleged fake tomato paste, Tasty Tom.
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The National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUBFTE) has also raised the alarm over attempts to flood the Nigerian market with harmful vegetable oil and related products.
The tins of fake tomato paste were impounded at Ipaja-Ayobo, area of the state, according to the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris. He told newsmen that the fake product was discovered by the State Task Force on Fake Drugs in an abandoned building following a tip off.
Two men were subsequently arrested.
He said the recovered cans were actually expired product re-canned by the suspects and sold to unsuspecting consumers, adding that its consumption is dangerous to health and could lead to death, noting that:“This fake product which was being repackaged in an uncompleted building has an expiry date of 2009 and NAFDAC registration no: X1-0511.”
The Commissioner explained that the state government had intimated NAFDAC of the development and the Police have commenced investigation to discover other outlets of the alleged criminals and their sharp practices. “NAFDAC has just been informed, aside that, since NAFDAC official is part of the task force, we believe NAFDAC would take it up from there,” he said.
The NAFDAC discovery of a batch of My Pikin as a killer drug prompted the state government to move into various drug markets in the state with a view to uncovering other dangerous drugs and foods. “We are happy to note that we have not found any other drug wanting in the expected minimum standards.”
The NUBFTE is asking appropriate government agencies, especially the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to be on the alert and ensure that harmful vegetable oil and related products are not allowed to enter the Nigerian market because of their health implications.
On the issue of the fake vegetable oil, President of NUFBTE, Comrade Lateef Oyelekan, called on government to place a ban on the importation of vegetable oil and related products, arguing that Nigeria has the capacity to meet both the local need and that of Western African sub-region.
He said: “We have it on good authority that some unscrupulous Nigerian businessmen and importers have imported harmful vegetable oil and other related products meant for the coming festive periods especially Sallah, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
We are using this opportunity to alert Nigerians and relevant government agencies to be on the look out for these imports billed to arrive Nigeria before the coming Sallah, Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
We are specifically calling on NAFDAC to be extra vigilant and save Nigeria the negative health implications of consuming harmful vegetable oil and related products once they are in the Nigerian market. Information available to us has it that the imported vegetable oil is made from animals and is mostly used for cosmetics which is dangerous for human consumption.
Our investigation has revealed that one of the health implications of the consumption of the vegetable oil is cancer." http://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/5/24.htmlhttp://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/5/422.htmlhttp://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/5/308.htmlI think it is high time they do a very thorough investigation round the country about our factories |
