•How greedy merchants shorten lives of Nigerians
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The desperation for maximum profit in business among Nigerians has taken a dangerous dimension that is fast resulting in loss of lives, and in some cases health issues that force many in and out of the hospital.
The market seems to have promoted profit-driven ventures and practices to the detriment of the life and wellbeing of Nigerians. Increasingly, Nigerian businessmen and women tend to disregard the sanctity of life and health of the masses for the sake of their businesses.
Food, medicines, fruits, beverages, cosmetics, perfumes, vegetables, alcohol and several other items are, daily, adulterated and falsified by merchants to, perhaps, make more profit, not minding the dangers to human health.
Despite the lack of reliable and accurate data, over 200,000 people, including children under the age of five, reportedly die annually from the consumption of contaminated foods.
These food-borne diseases affect disproportionately the most vulnerable of the society, notably, infants, young children (under five years), pregnant women, the elderly and immune-compromised people.
This has led to several complaints to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which awakened them to action that resulted in confiscation and arrests. But despite the onslaught, the illicit trade continues to boom.
It was recently reported that more people, especially young people, are coming down with cancer, kidney and liver diseases, and several other related ailments, and most of the ailments are caused by food and lifestyle. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of this development and never take precaution on what enters their body system
NAFDAC, over the years, had adopted several measures to combat the people involved in the illicit trade, but it seems like the more the onslaught, the more the change in approach to their crime.
However, NAFDAC has resorted to massive sensitization and advocacy starting with journalists, to educate and reawaken the consciousness of Nigerians on the activities of the “criminals” and what to look out for, when purchasing items that could be easily adulterated or falsify.
Patent medcine hawking
This is a common scene across small and big markets in Nigeria. Drugs are sensitive life-saving commodities that shouldn’t be sold on the streets/motor parks or open markets just like any other article of trade.
NAFDAC had unleashed “terror” on drug hawkers across the country over the years. But despite the fight, the illicit trade seems to be going one, though on a reduced scale.
The menace of drug hawking, undoubtedly, poses serious challenge to healthcare delivery system in the country and this, perhaps, underscored the determination of NAFDAC to eradicate the illicit trade.
It’s confirmed that many drug hawkers are, knowingly or unknowingly, merchants of death. This is because they expose essential and life saving medicines to unfriendly weather, which degrade the active ingredients in the medicine and turn them to poisons, thus endangering human lives.
Most of the drugs sold by the “illiterate and semi-literate” drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines.
Surprisingly, prescription drugs are also sold by these drug hawkers who also hold consultation, recommend and prescribe medicines to their gullible “patients.” They are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers. Drug hawkers constitute serious threat to our national security.
The major drugs that are sold by these drug hawkers are; antibiotics/anti-infectives, aphrodisiacs, narcotics and psychotropic drugs analgesics, haematinics and multivitamin preparations and herbal medicines.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, had recently confirmed to journalists that enforcement officers are engaged in synchronized nationwide operation on the matter, insisting that any drug hawker arrested will be prosecuted, and possibly face a jail term.
“No offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the Law. To this end, we solicit the co-operation and support of all other law enforcement agencies, journalists and other Nigerians in riding the country of this harmful and shameful practice.”
Artificially ripened fruits
This is another crime against humanity by fruit vendors. The ripening of fruits with a substance called calcium carbide is a great public health challenge in Nigeria. Many people in the market seem to be adopting the option to make quick sales, but NAFDAC maintained that it has deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.
It’s been medically confirmed that consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc, or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health, and should be avoided completely.
Fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide may be ripe on the skin, but the inside remains unripe. Such artificially ripened fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark especially with banana and plantain.
It advised that fruit be allowed to ripe naturally so the body or the consumer can enjoy the full nutrients as naturally contained in the fruits. Naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly.
Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious, and attractive.
Effects of artificially ripened fruits
Medical experts have discouraged the consumption of artificially ripened food. This is because fruits ripened with calcium carbide contain impurities that may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure.
The fruits can also cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer and so forth. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary oedema).
Additionally, calcium carbide produces acetylene which affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain, and further induces prolonged hypoxia.
These impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children, and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc.
Calcium carbide is alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region. It also disrupts intestinal functions. Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.
Other harmful practices
Investigation revealed that several other harmful practices are being engaged in for the purposes of maximizing profit to the detriment of public health.
In addition to the artificial ripening of fruits and other foods, the merchants also engage in several unethical practices that pose a danger to the public health some of which include; unethical usage of insecticides, antibiotics, and different other chemical substances on foods and vegetables.
There are cases of wrong application of agrochemicals such as “sniper” for the storage and preservation of agricultural commodities such as grains (beans). These actions have presented negative health outcomes.
Another unwholesome practice is the tenderizing or softening of meat with paracetamol tablets by food vendors for the purpose of saving gas, kerosene, firewood or whatever they use to cook in order to maximize profits.
There is another practice called concealment. This involves using a chemical substances identified as formaldehyde to preserve fish. Their aim is to keep the fish looking fresh for longer time without recourse to its effect on the health of the consumer. Similarly, some poultry foods are also injected with hormones to conceal disease.
Another dangerous trend is the adulteration of palm oil. In this case, there’s an addition of Sudan dyes (e.g. Sudan I, Sudan IV) to palm oil to give it an attractive red colour for attraction and profit.
There are also some people who engage in adulteration of honey and spices. While they add banned colouring to spices to the enhanced colour, some choose to add sugar-based products like fructose, glucose, sucrose, and starch to honey to enhance taste.
Counterfeiting is another criminal action that is growing but mostly on alcohol and other related bottled beverages, including water. NAFDAC, however, raised the alarm that there are many fake alcoholic drinks, in addition to several imitations of wines and spirits products with fake labels of a popular brand.
Some other people engage in tampering and mislabeling. In doing this, they make false claims on packaging, simply for economic gain. They market conventional products as organic. Some changes expiry date, do some unauthorized modifications to sell expired food products, among several other unwholesome practices all geared towards maximizing profit.
What you should know
In all one should be extra careful in consuming food and fruits. The importance of knowledge and exposure cannot be overemphasized.
Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at NAFDAC, Eva Edwards, in a presentation at a recent engagement with journalists in Abuja, stressed the need for increased sensitization and advocacy by the media on importance of food safety.
She maintained that food safety is everyone’s business, adding that It’s the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use.
She said health consequences of unsafe food can be disastrous, hence there shouldn’t be unsafe, unscrupulous practices going on with food.
She said: “Food safety is a shared responsibility of governments, producers and consumers. Everybody has a role to play from farm to dinning table to ensure the food we consume is safe and will not damage our health.
“It’s important to ensure that the food are produced and preserved in a safe and clean environment to avoid unnecessary contamination that could result in severe public health crisis.”