An alarm has been raised on the activities of some people who re-bag expired, spoilt rice into new bags and selling them to unsuspecting members of the public.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) issued this alert in a statement, where it warned the general public on the unscrupulous activities of some business men and traders who revalidate expired rice and also repackage local rice as foreign rice.
The agency said its Ogun State office had received a report from the Department of State Services (DSS) in the state, of ongoing food fraud at Oke-Aje market in Ijebu Ode. Following this, Enforcement Officers of the Agency and its Federal Task Force team stormed the market in company of Department of State Services officials on November 14, 2019.
At the market, NAFDAC says miscreants were sighted who took to their heels. However, “Bags of expired rice, caked rice, bags of local rice, bags of popular foreign rice and sealing machines were found in the shops,” according to the statement, after the NAFDAC Enforcement team finally gained access. Three shops were sealed during the operation, according to NAFDAC.
The agency emphasised that “expired and caked rice are unwholesome as they contain moulds and microorganism that cause diseases which are of immense Public Health concern.”
NAFDAC in its statement advised consumers to be vigilant and exercise discretion when purchasing rice and other food items. It also advised members of the public to report cases of re-bagging and sale of caked and expired rice or other food items to the nearest NAFDAC office.
CALEB OJEWALE
