The Country Representative/Director of the Kasha International Agricultural Development Organisation, Hilda Jose, has raised the alarm over the cancerous implications of food processing in Nigeria,
KIADO is a United States Rural Agriculture Agency, which has done extensive work in rural agricultural development in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Taraba, Kogi, among others.
Jose expressed concerns over the pattern of food processing which has grave health implications to consumers in the country.
The KIADO country rep made the comment while visiting the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Gen. Paul Boroh, in Abuja, on Monday.
The purpose of the visit was to partner the Amnesty Office in the area of agriculture.
The country director said that the way farmers processed chili pepper, peanuts and others which are spread to dry by the roadside was unsafe.
She explained that the food items could cause cancer in the body as water would have formed moles in them before being processed into final food products.
Jose also said that the widespread practice in the Federal Capital Territory where farmers and traders force banana and plantains to ripe with the use of carbides was dangerous as it could cause cancer.
She stated further that smoked fish in the country contained too much soot which had been found to be carcinogenic.
She said that KIADO had to pull out of Katsina State some years ago because of the observation that children were allowed to defecate in farms, adding that the practice was unacceptable.
“Food safety in Nigeria is very poor. You have the best onions in the world. I took your onion to Israel and I got it analysed and it is the best in the world but your preservation is poor.
“Children defecate in the farms. Chili pepper is dried by the roadside. Your safety is at risk. Some of the peanuts are dried by the roadside; the moles in them are cancerous. WTO can’t take you because you have got a long way to go,” she said.
She added that the World Trade Organisation had problems relaxing the tough conditions for food items from Nigeria because of the poor safety habits.
Jose explained that Nigeria had a long way to go in the area of meeting the safety requirements for processed food items in line with WTO standards.
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