NAFDAC To Begin On-the-spot Bread Test
NAFDAC To Begin On-the-Spot Bread Test
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| Bread Display at a Motor Garage- Is this Right? |
(Part 1)
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has concluded arrangements to begin on-the-spot bread test for the detection of the banned Potassium Bromate and other harmful improver in bread production.
At the flag off ceremony for the Annual Bread Monitoring exercise and seminar organized by NAFDAC held at FIIRO, Oshodi in Lagos, Dr. Paul Orhii, Director-General of NAFDAC regretted that though Potassium bromate was banned by the expert committee of Food Additives of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO), since 1992, some bakers still indulge in this ugly act of adding this dangerous chemicals to bread. Some bakers interviewed attributed the continual usage of potassium bromate in bread production to low cost and the ability of the improver to act as an efficient oxidizing agent.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii counseled that the toxicological studies on Potassium bromate have convincingly shown that it degrades Vitamin A2, B1, B2 and Niacin which are the main Vitamins available in bread. He submitted by saying that the substance under reference was poisonous to human being.
Part of the program is a collaborative effort with the Association of Master Bakers of Nigeria, where bakeries will make their bread available for the test. Besides, bakers will further be trained and certificates issued to participants whose bread is bromate-free.
In her address at the ceremony, Mrs. Mainasara Ogochukwu, Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition(FSAN), NAFDAC stated that bakers are guilty of many violations ranging from the use of banned substances such as Potassium bromate to improper packaging and labeling lapses which have been observed among many bakeries will be addressed during the training.
Foodpreneur News had been at the forefront of campaign to sensitize the consumers on food safety issues observed with bread in Nigeria from fraudulent inclusion of banned substances in bread to mode of distribution and sales (see the attached picture). As a stakeholder in the industry, we will join NAFDAC in this exercise to ensure food safety and protect the health of an average Nigerian who has seen bread as a staple food.
Part of the measures that NAFDAC had put in place is in ensuring that flour is adequately fortified with Vitamin A& B and the enforcement of mandatory compliance with good hygiene practice and good manufacturing practice at food production facilities.
Mrs Mainasara Ogochukwu stressed that effective protection of the over 167million Nigerians public against food borne diseases require a preventive and not a reactive management approach. It was agreed that both the regulatory agencies, Association of Master Bakers and Confectioners of Nigeria and other stakeholders need to work together to ensure that production, distribution and sales of wholesome bakery products to the consumer is achieved. The Director assured that every bakery whose products is analyze at this NAFDAC Bread Quality Initiative exercise will be issued a report which is in line with the global trend.
We have been assured by NAFDAC that the exercise will identify the gaps and subsequent intervention strategies required to ensure and sustain the production of safe and wholesome bakery products.
On her part, Dr. Gloria Elemo, the Director-General, FIIRO called on bakers to continue the 20% inclusion of the newly developed high quality cassava flour to replace wheat used for bread making.
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