The Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has shed more light on the ban of Indomie Instant Noodles, stating that the ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ variant was not registered for sale in Nigeria.
This disclosure was made as the agency began random sampling and analysis of Indomie noodles and seasoning for the presence of ethylene oxide, following its alleged presence in the product in Malaysia and Taiwan.
Adeyeye assured Nigerians of a thorough investigation of the product at the factory and market levels and pledged to make the outcome of the sampling and analysis public.
In a statement, the NAFDAC chief explained that only noodles manufactured in Nigeria and granted NAFDAC registration status following a strict regulatory regime of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are allowed for sale in the Nigerian market.
She added that the implicated Indomie Instant Noodles ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ was not registered by NAFDAC for sale in Nigeria, emphasizing that noodles are on the Import Prohibition List of the Federal Government of Nigeria and are therefore not permitted for importation into the country.
NAFDAC is also on high alert to prevent the importation of the implicated product into Nigeria, and the agency is committed to fulfilling its responsibility of safeguarding public health.
