IMPORTED INDOMIE NOODLES NOT ALLOWED IN NIGERIA-NAFDAC

...Begins investigation to determine state of locally made ones.

Based on the news circulating around the country over cancer-causing indomie noodles outside the country, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has come out with warning against importation of indomie noodles just as the agency has set up investigating team to find out state of locally-produced indomie noodles to verify their state.

NAFDAC Director of Public Affairs, Abubakar Jimoh, who made this known to the press reiterated that NAFDAC is embarking on knowing the healthiness of locally-produced indomie noodles before it will come out with public announcement.

According to Jimoh, though the Agency has already come out with warning against imported indomie noodles, but it has also set up internal test to know the healthiness of made-in-Nigeria indomie noodles before it will come out with its findings.

It would be recalled that the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Monday 1 May 2023, said imported indomie noodle is one of the foods on the government prohibition list.

She said the noodle is not allowed in the country, and therefore not registered by the agency, adding that NAFDAC only approved circulation of indomie noodles produced in Nigeria and not imported.

“It should be noted that 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 explained.

“Tomorrow, today May 2,2023 , NAFDAC’s Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate will randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate samples from the markets.

“The compound of interest is ethylene oxide, so the Director, Food Lab Services Directorate has been engaged. He is working on the methodology for the analysis,” she stated.

Adeyeye described the action as extra caution to ensure that the product is not smuggled ingo the country.

“We also want to be sure that the spices used for the Indomie and other noodles in Nigeria are tested. That is what NAFDAC Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) and Post Marketing Surveillance (PMS) are doing this week at the production facilities and in the market, respectively. Thank you. The public will be duly updated with the outcomes of the investigation,” she added.

This latest move became imperative based on the reports that indomie noodles by Taiwan and Malaysia have cancer-infested substance like Ethylene oxide found in ‘Ah Lai White Curry Noodles’ from Malaysia, ‘Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour’ noodles from Indonesia.