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.

A very small percentage (15.33) of the retailers sold locally produced poultry meat. “It was discovered
that the foreign poultry products contain high levels of formaldehyde, as well as high levels of metals
and other substances which are lethal to the human body as against the locally bred poultry products
which did not contain such substances.

Heavy metals (which have been found to be present in imported or smuggled meat) may cause toxicity-
related mutagenesis (mutation), carcinogenesis (cancer) and other severe health hazards. Others (result
of heavy metals) are cardiovascular diseases, skin disorders, and neurotoxicity lung and nasal cancer in
humans”.

The general public, please take note…


source:
http://www.naij.com/467697-dont-eat-imported-chicken-turkey-nafdac-to-nigerians.html

Hope fish is safe o.

please MOD, send this thread to front page for all to see.

This damn thing is not only demage people's health but contribute to the decline of local poultry meat production as well as processing business.

ok but we can grid them to keep

How do we know d difference...

I just hope our local eateries buy from zartech or any other local wholesaler.

Ok

This is why I have issues about our agencies; they are willing tools in the hands of the highest bidder.

So you just wake up to notice today the harmful nature of imported frozen chicken OR

The birds in Ota Farms have matured and over-ready for the market but unfortunately there is a 'bad market'.

Well, the 'bad market' for chicken may have been occasioned by economic crisis in the country and its effect on 'lovebirds' .

psucc:
This is why I have issues about our agencies; they are willing tools in the hands of the highest bidder.

So you just wake up to notice today the harmful nature of imported frozen chicken OR

The birds in Ota Farms have matured and over-ready for the market but unfortunately there is a 'bad market'.

Well, the 'bad market' for chicken may have been occasioned by economic crisis in the country and its effect on 'lovebirds' .

I am into Agric related information and more. This issue is global and Nigeria need to address this ASAP. Go out today and you will see significant percentage of Nigerians ladies with big stomach and lots of high blood pressure cases. We are consuming a whole lot of junk.

If possible, only eat local chicken, I mean the ones raised in rural areas - Not commercial farming. Remember, health is wealth