The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has distant itself from claims circulating on social media that bread sold in Nigeria are unsafe for consumption due to the presence of saccharin.
The Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC clarified that no such statement was ever issued, contrary to the assertions made in a viral video.
A social media influencer, in a viral video had falsely claimed that NAFDAC advised Nigerians to avoid locally produced bread.
The content of the video stated that, “NAFDAC raises fresh alarm as most of the bread in the market are failing laboratory tests due to the use of saccharin instead of sugar, driven by the high cost of sugar.”
Prof. Adeyeye, in a press release refuted the claim, saying NAFDAC did not declare Nigerian bread unsafe at any time, particularly not during the stakeholders’ meeting held on 16 August 2024, which was referenced in the misleading video.
“At no time during that engagement with stakeholders did NAFDAC suggest that Nigerians should avoid bread baked and sold in Nigeria. The agency is a responsible regulator and does not make general statements capable of causing panic and fear in the population.
“Any baker found to be using unapproved food additives, in this case, saccharine, is appropriately sanctioned in line with the extant regulatory provisions”, she emphasised.
As a responsive regulatory agency, Adeyeye said, NAFDAC wishes to provide clarification that the content of the video on avoiding bread in Nigeria does not reflect the observation of NAFDAC, which was made during a stakeholders engagement held on 16 August 2024 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Saccharin, also known as benzosulfimide, is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener that is about 500 times sweeter than sucrose. Despite its sweetness, it has no food energy or nutritional value and is often used in products like drinks, candies, baked goods, and certain medicines.
About five decades ago, concerns were raised about saccharin’s safety when studies on laboratory rats linked high doses to bladder cancer. However, subsequent research determined that this effect was not relevant to humans. Subsequently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified saccharin, indicating that it is “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.”
The NAFDAC boss emphasised that while saccharin is permitted in some products, its use in bread is strictly prohibited under both the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) and the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). She noted that NAFDAC strictly adheres to these regulations to protect public health.
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