Tobi Adebayo
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has condemned the use of formalin, a chemical used to preserve corpses, to preserve frozen chicken.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye condemned the deadly act by some Nigerian businessmen/women on Monday at a sensitization campaign in Anambra.
She called on all Nigerians including traditional institutions, opinion and community leaders to join the agency in educating people on the dangers of using the disinfectant to preserve frozen chicken, meat.
“This is a new dangerous practice that has come to the attention of NAFDAC and we are alerting members of the public. “They use Formalin in protecting shelf life of frozen chicken and meat product so that they don’t get rotten, particularly the frozen Chicken that are smuggled through illegal route or border into the country.
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“When they smuggle it in, because they cannot go through the normal route, they have to go through illegal route. “So, a journey that should take them just one day, because they are passing through the bush path and no storage facility, they are forced to use Formalin to preserve the chicken. This is because they have to take three to four days before they can bring it to the market.
“It is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians to be very vigilant and help NAFDAC in fighting this menace.
“NAFDAC is making effort to ensure that people drop these sharp practices because it is injurious to health and is a great disservice to humanity,” she said.
