FG raises the alarm over carbide-ripened fruits, paracetamol-treated meat in markets

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us FG raises the alarm over carbide-ripened fruits, paracetamol-treated meat in markets Healthwise November 10, 2026 8:16 pm File photo: Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh

The Federal Government has raised concerns over the use of harmful chemicals in food sold in Nigerian markets, warning against practices such as using calcium carbide to ripen fruits, paracetamol to soften meat and detergents in cassava processing.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, said other dangerous practices included treating beans and grains with unauthorised chemicals and adulterating palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV.

He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at an event marking the 2026 World Science Day for Peace and Development, with the theme, “Common Ground Through Science Diplomacy.”

Udeh described unsafe food handling, fraud and adulteration as serious national concerns, saying they exposed consumers to harmful chemicals, unhygienic processing and improper preservation practices.

He said, “Indeed, unsafe food handling, food fraud, and adulteration have become serious national concerns, exposing consumers to harmful chemicals or unhygienic processing and improper preservation practices.”

The minister listed some of the practices threatening food safety, saying, “Other reported unsafe practices, which include ripening fruit with calcium carbide, treating beans and grains with [unauthorised chemicals], using paracetamol to soften meat, applying detergents or bleaching agents during cassava processing, and adulterating palm oil with prohibited colourants such as Sudan IV, have become widespread practices with eating health consequences.”

He warned that the practices endangered lives, undermined consumer confidence and compromised food security.

“These practices certainly endanger lives, undermine consumer confidence, and compromise food security. Food must sustain life, not endanger it,” he said.

Citing figures attributed to the World Health Organisation, Udeh said approximately 866 million people globally suffered foodborne illnesses, resulting in about 1.52 million deaths annually, including 143,000 children under five.

He put the global economic burden of foodborne illnesses at $310bn, adding that unsafe food could cause more than 200 diseases.

The minister also cited estimates by Nigerian health authorities that the country recorded approximately 50 million foodborne illnesses and more than 53,000 related deaths annually.

He said the figures underscored the need for stronger food inspection, professional oversight and enforcement to protect consumers.

To address the problem, Udeh announced plans to strengthen food safety monitoring through the deployment of qualified food science and technology professionals, particularly at the local government level.

He said the Federal Government would facilitate the establishment of a professional cadre for food science and technology practitioners in the public service to ensure that trained experts were involved in food inspection, processing and quality control.

The minister expressed concern that, despite Nigeria producing approximately 3,000 food science and technology professionals annually from about 70 tertiary institutions, their expertise was not being adequately utilised.

He said, “With all of these trained hands and professionals, we still are not where we should be in terms of food safety and food handling practices because we’re not yet effectively utilising these hands, particularly in the public service, because it’s been constrained by an absence of an established professional cadre.”

He pledged to facilitate the necessary engagements towards establishing the cadre, adding that the process was linked to personnel audits and skills-gap analysis.

Udeh urged food businesses and regulatory institutions to engage qualified and licensed professionals in food production management, quality assurance, production supervision, raw materials management and finished-product storage.

He also called on regulatory inspectors to verify practitioners’ professional registration and valid annual practice licences.

The minister said the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2019, was responsible for regulating the profession and practice of food science and technology.

He commended the council for developing a food safety operational manual for food business operators, market traders and street-food vendors, urging local governments to adopt it to strengthen grassroots monitoring.

He further called on local governments to improve food inspection and enforcement in markets, restaurants, abattoirs and other food outlets.

On the use of indigenous technology, Udeh said the ministry was promoting locally developed equipment for safer food processing, preservation, storage and packaging.

He listed improved fish-smoking kilns, solar dryers, grain storage systems, cassava-processing equipment and food-grade grinding machines among the technologies available locally.

He identified the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, as one of the agencies that had fabricated different food-processing equipment.

The minister said the ministry was also promoting shared community processing facilities to enable small-scale operators who could not afford individual equipment to access affordable or free facilities.

He specifically identified garri packaging as an area requiring intervention, noting that the product was often displayed in open containers and exposed to dust, insects and unhygienic handling.

He said appropriate packaging technologies would reduce contamination and preserve food quality without imposing excessive costs on small-scale traders.

Udeh also disclosed plans to convene a high-level national food systems stakeholders’ meeting within the next one to two months to strengthen coordination among government institutions and stakeholders across the food value chain.

The Registrar of the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, Veronica Ezeh, supported the call for stronger grassroots regulation, saying the absence of designated food safety professionals had contributed to inadequate monitoring in local markets.

Ezeh said some food science and technology professionals employed by local governments were not assigned regulatory responsibilities because the relevant professional cadre and scheme of service had not been fully established.

She said, “Some of us are employed at local government, but they’re not given, because there’s no scheme of service. They’re not given that duty to perform. These are the findings we have had.”

She argued that deploying trained professionals would help detect unsafe food practices before products reached consumers.

Responding to concerns about whether packaging alone could guarantee the safety of garri and other food products, particularly where buyers might discover contaminants after purchase, Ezeh said packaging must be complemented by professional inspection.

“The food scientific officers should be able to do these first and give confidence to people to be able to buy the food in the market. That is the solution,” she said.

She added that effective grassroots regulation would restore consumer confidence among Nigerians who had become increasingly cautious about purchasing certain food products because of fears of adulteration and contamination.

Deborah Tolu-Kolawole is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with four years of experience covering Nigeria’s vast education sector as well as related areas such as politics, health, security, and labour. She blends rigorous reporting with digital storytelling to bring clarity and insight to complex issues affecting learners, educators, and policymakers. Deborah was a nominee for The Future Awards Africa (TFAA) Prize in Journalism, recognising her impactful reporting and contributions to Nigerian media. Her work reflects strong newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a commitment to accurate, audience-focused journalism. In addition to her reporting, she is fluent in multiple languages and serves as a contributing member of The Punch editorial board.

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