The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians on the dangers of buying medicines from hawkers rather than licensed pharmacies and medicine stores.
It has also cautioned Nigerians against the consumption of foods and drugs which are injurious to their health.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning during a sensitization campaign in Ilorin the Kwara state capital on Thursday.
Represented at the event by the Director, North Central of the agency, Bolaji Abayomi, Prof Adeyeye said the aim was to protect Nigerians against the negative effects of unwholesome food, fake medical products, harmful cosmetics, poor water and other substandard regulated products.
She said some market men and women, in an attempt to make profit, mixed palm oil with Azo dye, a cancer-causing agent, to make it look beautifully reddish and attractive to consumers.
She further disclosed that vegetable oil that sleeps, is a potential killer adding that they also use sniper on meat, fish and beans to prevent fly from perching and eradicate weevils. Such products she said are dangerous when they are consumed.
She also said vegetable oil that has been transported in kerosene tanker is hazardous and using potassium bromide to bake bread kills slowly.
“Consumption of excessive oil and use of formalin on food has its associated health hazards,” she warned.
She said the campaign theme was intended to address such public health challenges as abuse of codeine and self-medication, especially among youths.
She encouraged mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding for two years for the good health of their children, adding that low level of exclusive breastfeeding practice by lactating mothers will make the child susceptible to various diseases and low IQ.
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