I am an apple lover and i try to stay healthy by eating apples almost everyday. Recently someone told me about how she forgot some apples in an old cupboard for 2 weeks (no air, no light) and discovered the apple was still as fresh as the day she bought it. I was alarmed, i did the same thing for 4weeks and the apple was still very fresh.

This got me worried, so i did a research and found out that the shelf life of apple is about 2 weeks; and may last up to 4 weeks with some chemicals (preservatives).

Now, thinking through the value chain of apples sold in Nigeria, they are harvested, processed and imported to Nigeria; before being sold to market women who sell to us. That process in itself should take at least 2weeks. Then the market women keep it at their shops (unrefrigerated) and sell to us; then i do this little experiment after 4 whole weeks and the apple is still fresh?

I continued my research and found out that most of our apples are imported from cotonou (last i checked they have same weather as we do); i honestly couldnt figure out how its grown there but i understand some chinese farmers set up farms in cotonou and sell their products to Nigerians.

I am confused and worried; someone please educate me; are we safe to keep eating apples. Does NAFDAC/SON or anyone bother to check the amounts of chemicals injected into these apples or any other foods that are sold to us? Little wonder the rate of cancer, diabetes, kidney failure is increasing in Nigeria.

@ poster, i I feel you o. Its not just apples, we should be concerned about most of what we eat these days especially with the agricultural boom in the country lately. Who is checking for safety of levels of chemicals, preservatives, fertilizers pumped into these foods

God help us!!!!!!

Mods please front page, this issue affects everyone of us.

I am a lover of apple but recently I discovered that a big apple in the popular markets is sold for N50 instead of N100 while others are still selling theirs small N50 and big one N100. Is there any difference? God help us in this country

It is well okay to me that apple in Nigeria are good to be consume. It builds de body immune also.

The Apples need to be contained and checked, because some of the apples come from France and South Africa. Imagine the days it spends to get here. Most likely they are injected with chemicals to increase shelf life for the journey. When we buy and eat these apples, they are bound to do more harm than good in our body. The ratio of antioxidants to the chemical in the apple will be 30:70 at least thereby the work the apple is meant to do will not have an effect on our system, because its nutrients have been limited by these chemicals.