Many lives have been lost to incidences of food poisoning a development that has jolted relevant government agencies into taking steps in the form of campaigns against it ELEOJO IDACHABA writes.
There are several food preservation methods used to avoid the consequences of mishandling perishable goods, however, some people who are all about making quick gains could not be bothered. Investigations have shown that the end-users, who are the ultimate final consumers, are victims of this malpractice.
Over the years, there have been reported cases of strange ailments which are eventually traced to food poisoning.
The extent of damage caused by food poisoning especially as a result of addictives and preservatives in food being consumed by Nigerians was not known until the National Agency for Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) raised the alarm.
Statistics by Health Watch has revealed that more than 30 per cent of cancer-related ailments and deaths in the country in the last 15 years were as a result of food poisoning.
A victim’s experience
There have been several cases of fatality cases as a result of food poisoning including that of a Lagos-based journalist with The Daily Independent Newspaper, Emmanuel Okwuke, who died of food poisoning-related ailments in December 2016.
The journalists was said to have eaten banana ripened with carbide, a poisonous toxin that damaged his lungs and liver.
According to the report, the deceased journalist, who until his death was the Information and Communication Technology Editor of the paper, bought the fruit at Ketu on his way home to avoid eating late; however, unknown to him the fruit would lead him to his untimely demise.
The journalists, who died after a protracted illness, had narrated the events that led to his ailment stating that after eating the banana he collapsed at midnight.
According to him, “I called my wife but my voice was not loud enough, but somehow, she found me where I was on the floor. I was very weak and I was rushed to the hospital by my wife and neighbours, as I was told later.
“I didn’t know where I was until the following day. I was told by the doctor that I had food poisoning. And from the test and everything, it was discovered that it was the banana that I ate the previous night that caused the crisis. My wife, Julie, brought the remaining banana and subsequent tests revealed that they had carbide.”
Data collection problems
Okwuke is not alone as countless number of Nigerians have lost their lives to this menace, however, there is insufficient data on the pattern of food poisoning as well as deaths.
According to Health Watch, “In Nigeria, because of poor data collection and the absence of surveillance systems, it is difficult to reach an accurate picture of the burden of food borne diseases.
“However, there are some evidences that these illnesses contribute to ill health and death in the country and there is evidence of unsafe food practices by caterers and food handlers in various settings.”
It noted further that, “Food poisoning usually manifests as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea and is most commonly caused by salmonella, escherichia coli and campylobacter.”
Banned products still on display
In what it referred to as ‘Death in Small Doses’, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) said, “Investigation has shown that some of the chemicals that were banned 12 years ago and those that were recently considered too unsafe by the government to be sold in open markets are still very much available in various markets around the country. Pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other chemicals can be found in the open markets.
“The chemicals are used on foods such as grains, cereals, legumes and later taken to the market against approved duration when the potency of the chemicals should have worn off.”
It went further to state that, “While the administration of some of the chemicals is allowed at permissible levels for food storage to avoid post-harvest losses, those who administer the chemical on the food items are untrained to do so.”
NAFDAC warns
Also related to this is what the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye, identified recently at a workshop in Abuja as a phenomenon whereby trucks previously used for transporting fertilisers and other agro-chemicals or other hazardous materials are used for the transportation of grains and other food commodities.
Similarly, petroleum tankers are also used for transporting vegetable oil, water, or other food products.
At the workshop, she listed unhygienic practices by some vendors to include artificial ripening of fruits using unapproved agents such as calcium, unapproved insecticide such as sniper for the preservation of grains and use of containers contaminated with hazardous chemicals such as fertiliser bags for grains or chemical drums and jerry cans for food storage purposes.
According to her, “Display of food products in the sun which could produce harmful by-products such as benzene in soft drinks. Mock packs for display, use of cast iron as food processing machines or equipment and utilities which contaminate foods being processed with lead and other heavy metal storage to protect food product from infestation by rodents and pests as well as prevention of contamination and degradation due to environmental factors, are not good for human consumption.
“Others are adulteration of palm oil with Sudan IV (azo dye) which is a dangerous practice that puts the lives of millions of Nigerians and others at risk and food fraud which includes packaging of illicit alcohol falsely labelled and sold as spirit drinks thereby exposing consumers to high level of contaminants such as methanol, which could sometimes claim innocent lives, are serious concerns for this agency.”
Investigation showed that despite the advocacy by relevant agencies against indiscriminate use of pesticides to eliminate insects attacking plants and food stuff, the practice persists among many traders.
Further investigation by Blueprint Weekend revealed that the phenomenon of lacing grains, especially beans, with harmful chemicals in a bid to keep insects at bay has been a recurring decimal in the country from time immemorial.
There have been instances where hapless consumers have fallen victim of such unwholesome practices by traders who are always bent on preserving their goods at the expense of innocent consumers, including an incident involving whole families having either suffered severe health complications or lost their lives in the process.
In the same vein, a couple of years ago three traders of the same parents, Faith, Sunday, and Chijoke were caught spraying sniper on beans in their shop located along Adenekan Street, Alagbado area of Lagos state, and were arrested.
It is important to note that beans which is a stable food and in high and constant demand by Nigerians, is perhaps the most vulnerable of grains attacked by insects like weevils. This may be prompting traders go the extra mile to preserve the commodity in order to avoid losing their investment to the rampaging insects.
In sounding the alarm recently NAFDAC as well as the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) warned that consuming food laced with agro-chemicals could result in severe health conditions such as skin irritation, blindness, seizures, vomiting, diarrhoea, cancer, convulsion and coma leading to death.
Adeyeye said the agency was aware of the dangerous practice of indiscriminate application of agro-chemicals such as Dichlorovinyl, Dimethyl Phosphate (DDVP) popularly known as sniper on foodstuffs especially beans in the market and storage facilities to stave off the attack of insects on them.
The NAFDAC boss enjoined consumers to be vigilant and report such suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office and assured that efforts were ongoing to address the problem of wrong application of agro-chemicals.
She stressed that, “When you notice that your grains or beans have traces of agro-chemicals, please do not buy or eat it. Wash before cooking. It is safer than just cooking without washing.”
…CPC has warns against unauthorised chemicals
On his own part, the Director General of CPC, Mr Babatunde Irukera, also warned Nigerians to be careful and parboil beans before consuming it as there were credible intelligence that some retailers use harmful chemicals to preserve beans.
According to him, “CPC has confirmed that some traders, mostly in the open market, are using a pesticide, 2.2 – DDVP compound otherwise known as sniper to preserve beans, and more particularly to eliminate or protect the grains from weevils.”
Irukera, therefore, cautioned traders on the dangers of using unauthorised chemicals to preserve food items, however, pointing out that cooking significantly reduces the risk of exposure to pesticides.
He assured that most of chemicals diminish under extended period of direct heat in excess of 100 degrees.
Remedial measures
Beyond raising constant alarm and sending warning signals to consumers the general consensus of opinion was that traders who lace grains with killer pesticides should be treated like criminals who market adulterated drugs that can kill or harm consumers. Also, appropriate sanctions should be meted out to them including seizure of their goods and sealing of their shops.
They should also be made to face the full wrath of the law in order to serve as deterrent to other traders who are only concerned about selling their goods at the expense of human lives.
Farmers and traders that lace foodstuffs with chemicals are in the same dangerous class as manufacturers and marketers of counterfeit medications. While the latter are patronised only upon being ill, the former are patronised inevitably on daily basis.
It is not clear how far mere campaigns by these government agencies can go but like the late Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Dora Akunyuli, said: “Operators of banned products do not obey campaign; the only language they understand is strict enforcement in the form of seizure or closure of their businesses and in extreme cases imprisonment because there is no difference between an armed robber who kills using weapons and one who kills through adulteration.”
