In recent times, social media has been abuzz with warnings from nutrition specialists and bloggers about the dangers of factory-manufactured foods, snacks, and drinks. And rightly so! The alarming rise in diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, strokes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease has become a major health challenge in Nigeria. What’s even more disturbing is that these diseases, once associated with middle-aged and elderly individuals, are now affecting teenagers and younger children.
The culprit? Artificial foods and drinks are making our society sicker and more vulnerable to these lethal illnesses. Roseline Ajayi, NAFDAC’s South West Coordinator, recently sounded the alarm about the prevalence of poisonous bread in markets. According to her, bakers have resorted to using saccharine, a cheaper sugar substitute, since the price of sugar skyrocketed. But here’s the scary part: prolonged exposure to saccharine causes obesity, diabetes, hypertension, colorectal cancer, and other health issues.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that commercial food providers are using dangerous substances to remain profitable in an inflationary environment. Restaurant operators have been known to use harmful red oil substitutes, while popular fast foods, especially bread and pastries, remain largely unregulated. NAFDAC’s warning about the dangers of saccharine in bread is a wake-up call for all of us. As Ajayi aptly puts it, “They (bakers) are introducing ingredients that are not good for the health of consumers.” It’s time for us to take control of our health by making informed food choices.
The agency’s dissociation from a misleading video suggesting that Nigerians should completely avoid consuming bread is a relief. Instead, NAFDAC warns against the use of unapproved food additives like saccharine, which is not permitted in bread by the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) and the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). As we navigate this complex web of factory-produced foods, let’s remember that food is supposed to be medicine.
Healthy food should help our bodies prevent and fight diseases. It’s time to return to our native foods and drinks and to emphasize the dangers of consuming products made from unhealthy bleached wheat, refined sugar, macaroni, noodles, pastas, cakes, edible creams, sodas, and alcohols.
