The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down a bakery in Sokoto for using unfortified sugar and banned bromate.
NAFDAC State Coordinator Mr. Garba Adamu informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the bakery was discovered during a special raid by agency officials.
“We discovered that the bakery was using saccharine, an unregistered foreign sugar, as sweetener along with banned bromate in their productions.
“The items were seized for destruction, and the bakery is shut down until it complies with regulations and directives,” he said.
Adamu emphasised that only fortified registered sugar containing vitamin ‘A’ with micronutrients and other vitamins is allowed to be sold and consumed in Nigeria.
”This is a Federal Government policy enforced by NAFDAC and other government agencies to ensure that consumers get the maximum nutritional and other health benefits from the produced products.
”Six other bakeries were also sanctioned for poor hygiene as enforcement officers led by Mr Buhari Manzo scaled up the routine inspection visits to bakeries across the state.
”Bakeries are monitored to ensure that they don’t use saccharine or other banned items as a substitute to fortified regulated ingredients,” Adamu said.
The coordinator warned producers against using adulterated, counterfeit, unregistered, and expired items in their establishments, emphasizing that NAFDAC would persist with enforcement efforts.
Adamu stated that the operation would extend to local government areas as part of the agency’s commitment to ensuring hygienic foods and the circulation of proper products.
He urged the public to avoid unregistered products and to report any suspicious practices and contaminations to NAFDAC, reaffirming the agency’s continuous efforts to safeguard the nation’s health.