The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disputed allegations that Indomie instant noodles are being banned and has assured customers that the product is safe to consume.
It should be noted that health regulators in Malaysia and Taiwan claimed to have found ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic chemical linked to lymphoid and breast cancer, in the product, prompting a series of inquiries into Indofoods, the product’s maker.
The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) would issue an emergency direction to hold, test, and release the Indomie Special Chicken Flavour instant noodles goods from Malaysia at all country entry points.
Despite this scare, the Director-General of the health agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has asked consumers not to fret over the South-Asia countries’ preemptive measures.
“NAFDAC did not ban Indomie,” Professor Adeyeye said in a phone conversation with our Channels Television reporter on Monday.
“Indomie has been on the government prohibition list for many years to encourage local manufacturing.”
She also disclosed that the body has countermeasures to prevent the importation of these products from affected nations
“NAFDAC has registered several local manufacturers and the Indomie noodles have been safe,” she said.
“The Taiwan and Malaysia noodles have nothing to do with our local producers.”
Professor Adeyey, however, stated that it was in no way disregarding the reports but ” is responding to the news as a cautionary post-marketing monitoring measure to ensure that locally-made noodles stay safe.”
She also said NAFDAC, will begin random sampling of Indomie noodles, including the seasoning, from the production facilities to ascertain their safety levels for consumption.