The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has banned the importation of Indomie noodles into the country.
The Director-General of the Agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this in an interview with newsmen yesterday.
The regulatory body took the action amid investigation by Taiwan and Malaysia authorities, which reportedly discovered ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent, in the product.
According to the NAFDAC boss, the compound of interest was ethylene oxide said already the Director of Food Lab Services Directorate has been engaged and has started working on the methodology for the analysis.
According to her,“Indomie noodles have been banned from being imported into the country for many years. It is one of the foods on the government prohibition list. It is not allowed in Nigeria, and therefore not registered by NAFDAC”, She, however, promised that Nigerians will be duly updated with the outcome of the investigation.
The agency said it will begin random sampling of indomie noodles including the seasoning from the production facilities from today, Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the makers of Indomie noodles, Indofod, defended the safety of its products, saying all instant noodles produced by the ICBP in Indonesia were processed in compliance with the food safety standards from the Codex Standard for Instant Noodles and standards set by the Indonesian National Agency for Drug and Food Control.
