NAFDAC assures Nigerian-made Indomie Noodles safe, imports banned
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Indomie Noodles made in Nigeria are safe for consumption and have no connection with the ones produced in Taiwan and Malaysia which are not safe for human health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified.
NAFDAC Director General Mojisola Adeyeye made the clarification on TVC to allay fears about unsafe Indomie noodles brands.
“Foreign noodles have been banned from entering the country by the Nigerian government many years ago and this is on the Nigerian Customs Service importation prohibition list and this is to encourage local production of noodles and backward integration of the economy,” she explained.
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NAFDAC working to block smuggling of noodles
NAFDAC is working to ensure foreign-made noodles are not smuggled into the country, Adeyeye said, adding the Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) and the Food Lab Services Directorate (FLSD) have been activated on the issue, according to Tribune.
Tope Ashiwaju, Dufil Prima Foods Group Corporate Communications and Event Manager, explained that “Indomie Nigeria is different and a separate entity from Indomie Taiwan, and Indomie Malaysia.
“Indomie instant Noodles is locally produced in the country and operations have been ongoing for at least three decades. Dufil Prima has improved local capacity utilisation and has aided enhanced production to meet market demand, rather than depending on importation.”
Nigeria is a major consumer of instant noodles, with Indomie Instant Noodles dominating the market.
The World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) confirmed Nigeria is one of the largest consumers of instant noodles, gulping 1.92 million yearly.
The ban on the importation of instant noodles is not a recent development; they have been on the import prohibition list of the federal government for a long time.