- Consuming two or more packs goes beyond recommended daily sodium intake – Experts
- High blood pressure, other health challenges associated with product – Nutritionists
- studies reveal harmful preservatives
Noodles business appears to be expanding continuously and consistently with different brands flooding the market almost on a daily basis. For many households, noodles has become the staple food with some consuming it more than once in 24 hours. According to data from the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA), Nigeria is currently among the largest consumers of instant noodles with 1.92 million servings as of May 2020. While the boom may be good for the economy, experts say consumers may be doing a lot of damage to their bodies without knowing it. Findings revealed that noodles contain harmful preservatives and eating more than one pack with the sauce, as many people do, amounts to consuming more than daily sodium intake recommended by the World Health Organisation. INNOCENT DURU writes on the need for regulatory authorities to draw the attention of the consuming public to the other side of the popular delicacy, just like tobacco companies are advised to do to their customers.
Suzan, a mother of two, has a very tight schedule because of the nature of her job. She leaves home very early and returns quite late in the evening. To save her kids from hunger, she frequently prepares noodles for them, sometimes adding sardines, egg or chicken to the delicacy in order to make them enjoy it.
“My children like noodles a lot and I don’t hesitate to cook it for them. As a very busy person, it saves me a lot of time as it can be ready within minutes.
“In fact, there is hardly a day that they don’t eat it, because they find it very enjoyable as it is garnished with a lot of things that make it attractive,” she said, oblivious of the fact that addiction to noodles, according to experts, could pose serious health challenges to the children in the long run.
And Suzan is not alone in her ignorance as to the long-term damage addiction to noodles could have on the consumers. Wumi, an undergraduate, is also incurably addicted to it and goes to school with at least two cartons of it every semester.
She said: “It is my regular food in school. I go to school with two cartons of my brand, and if it finishes, I buy more.
“I eat it a lot because I find it difficult to cook before going for early morning lectures. When I come back late in the evening, noodles are also the way out for me.
“It appears cheap in the long run because two packs cost just about N300. Even if I don’t have money to buy eggs, fish or meat, I can just enjoy my noodles like that.”
Wumi said as a young lady, she likes her meals to be tasty, hence she uses the sauce that accompanies the delicacy generously.
“I don’t enjoy it if it is not tasty. The sauce is actually the thing in eating noodles,” she said.
The growing number of vendors who make noodles at strategic spots has also influenced the decision of many people to make it a daily meal.
Emeka, a bachelor, says he patronises the vendors because it saves him the stress of cooking.
“I don’t have the time to cook. My pots are hardly dirty. Whenever I am hungry, I just call on the woman that makes noodles around me. She does two or three packs and fries egg with it,” he said.
Emeka he never sensed danger in his habit. “It is just the easy way out,” he said.
Ebenezer is another regular consumer of noodles, especially at night.
“I get home very late at night and I always ask for noodles for dinner,” he said.
Explaining why he opts for noodles at night, he said: “I eat it because I feel it is light and will more easily digest than heavy foods like eba, fufu or pounded yam.
“It actually digests in no time. At times, you get up to urinate at night and you find that your stomach is empty.
“That is why I eat it at night so that it can easily digest.
“It is really my ideal food and I have always told my friends who also get home late from work to resort to noodles instead of swallows.”
How noodles consumers overshoot quantity of daily sodium recommended by WHO
While many of the above named consumers would not see anything wrong with their addiction to noodles, experts have raised the alarm about the long term effects of living on the product.
A nutritionist, Obembe Seun, said the sodium content of noodles is very high.
He said: “We all know what sodium is all about. It triggers high blood pressure.
“Deficiency of sodium causes muscle cramps, so we cannot ask people not to take sodium. But it should be minimal.
“Excessive intake of sodium is what triggers high blood pressure because it is classified as micro nutrient; not macro.”
Noodles, he further said, are not healthy. “What are the nutritional benefits and values of noodles? It constitutes a nuisance and very detrimental to the body.
“That is why we have all these brain lapses, fatigue and other issues. How many people did you see taking noodles that are really okay? It vanishes from the stomach almost as soon as you eat it.
“There is something we call food psychology. If you tell somebody not to eat something, you should be able to give them alternatives.
“There is spaghetti. Is it not the same thing as noodles? They should substitute and just forget about noodles.
“The only nutrient in noodles is the egg, maybe the vegetables or the carrots too.”
Another nutritionist, Ruth Onokudikoghene, told our correspondent that the medium pack of noodles has the sodium content that makes up a daily sodium recommendation.
She said: “If you are eating one medium pack, it means you are already taking the quantity of salt that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends for a full day.
“But that won’t be the only food you eat for that day. You have to prepare other meals.
“If you take two or three packs, it means you have gone beyond your sodium recommendation for that day.”
She advised individuals who have underlying conditions like hypertension to go for alternatives.
“When people know that they are at risk, it is better they go for healthier options because of the sodium content in some seasonings.
“They should alternate it with more of our local foods, which you know are not prepared with preservatives.”
For children, she said, it is not about having an underlying condition. “You know food itself is a habit. It is preferable to start up by letting children get used to local food like rice. Even sweet potatoes are easy to prepare.
“For food, it is a deliberate action to make sure you are healthy. Mothers should go the extra mile to make sure that their children learn healthy food habits so that when they grow up, they can actually stay healthy without having to be prone to non-communicable diseases.
“It is a graduation to ensure that a child stays healthy through the life cycle.”
Decrying the effects of noodles and many other packaged foods on children in particular, Ruth said: “Many children suffer poor development eating all this.
“I even encountered a child today. He is underweight. His teeth are just coming out at age one and he could barely walk. Teething should start at six months.
“At times, you see some low income earners not giving healthy food to their children. You will see them getting soft drinks and pastries. That is why Nigeria is the number one malnourished country in Africa.
“Anemia is another problem. A four or five-year-old had hemorrhage because the child was not given sufficient vegetables.
“You even hear some mothers saying that their children don’t eat our local food because of the early introduction of food that has added sugar.”
Nutritionist excludes noodles from meal plans
Asked if she would in any way include noodles in a meal plan for a client, Ruth said: “I will not add noodles to a meal plan if somebody asks me to prepare one, because a meal plan means that you are ready to make a decision to make a healthy food selection. Accompanying meal plans will come with enlightenment, with education.
“Enlightenment will now ensure such an individual can be able to understand how to make food selections that the individual can be able to be aware of. ‘Oh, this food is locally available. This food is beneficial for me in the long term and not just in the short term’.
“I get them more enlightened so that they can understand that whatever meal guide that I am going to place them on should be something that would be sustainable throughout their lifetime.”
Noodles contain harmful preservatives – Studies
Aside from the concerns raised by nutritionists in the country, foreign studies have also revealed that some noodles contain harmful preservatives
One of the studies obtained from thehealthsite.com said that butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) – a chemical preservative derived from the petroleum industry – are usually added in instantnoodles to keep them usable longer. Regular intake of these chemicals can cause severe health issues.
“A 2005 study published in Drug Metabolism and Disposition warned that long-term constant exposure to TBHQ may prove carcinogenic. It can also cause asthma, anxiety, diarrhea and adversely affect the liver and the reproductive organs.
BHA is included in the list of chemicals with possible endocrine-disrupting effects. Disruption in the endocrine system may lead to several adverse developmental, immune, neurological and reproductive effects.”
They are made of maida (white flour)
Studies from the website further said: “Most instant noodles are made of maida or refined wheat flour. Because maida is highly processed, it is devoid of any nutrition but has plenty of calories.
“Excessive or regular consumption of white flour has been linked to increased risk of weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and elevated cholesterol.
“A South Korean study also concluded that excessive instant noodle consumption can trigger obesity and metabolic ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and heart problems.”
They are loaded with bad fats
Since instant noodles are fried in palm oil, lard or butter before packaging, they are usually high in saturated fats. The seasoning may also contain oils high in saturated fats. Saturated fats, if consumed excessively or regularly, can raise the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol) in the blood. High cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes.
They are high in sodium
Corroborating local nutritionists’ position, the report said: “Sodium is essential for the proper functioning of your body, but too much isn’t good for your health. Excess sodium intake may lead to high blood pressure (hypertension), which, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease, heart failure and strokes.”
They may also contain MSG
Some instant noodle brands add Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) as an ingredient in flavor packets that accompany instant noodles. This flavor enhancer is popularly used in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisines. Research has linked high MSG consumption over the years to excess weight gain. Consumption of this preservative may also cause symptoms like headaches, nausea, high blood pressure, weakness, muscle tightness and flushing of the skin in some people.”
Experts react to methylene oxide scare and NAFDAC response
Two months ago, April to be precise, the health department in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, detected ethylene oxide in two types of instant noodles, including the Indomie chicken flavour, following random inspections.
It said the detection of ethylene oxide in the product did not comply with standards.
“The Taipei City Health Bureau reminds food industry that our country has not approved the use of ethylene oxide as a pesticide, nor has it approved the use of ethylene oxide gas as a disinfectant,” the department said in a statement.
“The industry is sure to implement autonomous management and confirm that the raw materials and products should comply with food safety and health management.”
Following this development, the health ministry in Malaysia examined 36 samples of instant noodles from different brands since 2022 and found that 11 samples contained ethylene oxide.
Ethylene oxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is used to sterilize medical devices and spices and has been described as a cancer-causing chemical.
Shortly after the news broke, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC ) Director General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said that beginning from Tuesday, 2 May, the agency would commence processes to test randomly selected products to ascertain the claims before reaching out to the public.
Not long after, the agency, while announcing that it had banned the importation of the controversial brand, assured Nigerians of their safety consuming the locally produced Indomie Instant Noodles.
She said: “We use this medium to assure the public that a thorough investigation of the products will be conducted both at the factory and market levels and our findings will be communicated.
The public is also hereby informed that the implicated Indomie Instant Noodles ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ is not registered by NAFDAC for sale in Nigeria.
Commenting on the safety of noodles produced in the country, one of the above nutritionists, Obembe Seun, challenged NAFDAC and individual nutritionists to conduct separate tests on the product and determine their safety.
His words: “NAFDAC have their own lab; let them do their research and let other people do theirs and let everybody submit their papers. They should just put the nutritionists at the frontline because these are the people that can detect the truth.
“Let them bring the microbiologists, the biochemists to the forefront. Let them discuss and debate on it. The superior argument gets the win.”
He added: “In nutrition, there is what we call capacity strengthening, knowledge upgrade and research and development. Let them look into this aspect. Nutritionists should come up and speak out on what they know about all these.”
Obembe advised NAFDAC to make use of nutritionists to tackle importation of unhealthy food into the country through the porous borders. “This is an opportunity for them to create jobs for the nutritionists at the borders, airport and boundaries so that nutrition too can come in instead of narcotics. If they can employ nutritionists in all these areas, they will do a better job.
“Nutritionists will be able to go into supermarkets and check for expiry dates or adulterated products. It will be a very good opportunity for the nutritionists if they can create jobs for them in that area.”
Also speaking, Ruth said: Banning importation is not just the solution. Before I heard the news about the use of methylene Oxide in noodles, I had a session with an audience talking about hypertension on Tuesday. And even before then, I usually tell my audience to try to make moderate consumption of packaged food because we understand the role of preservatives, and salt and sugar are major preservatives in food. That is one of the reasons why we enlighten individuals to get used to the local food.
“Even for children, when I do nutrition education for the mothers at immunization centers, I make them to understand that once you are introducing other food to your children, get used to the local food because when a child is trained to eat more of our local food, the child grows up with that habit. It would enable that person to minimise consumption of other foods that appear their peers are taking. They won’t take such food as much because they have been trained.”
She added: ”There was even a research to the effect that mothers that start introducing vegetables to their children, overtime, the child gets used to eating vegetables.
“Food is a habit and as such a poor habit should be avoided. This thing is not just about noodles; it is about other easily available food.”
NAFDAC, CPC yet to react
NAFDAC as at the time of filing this report was yet to respond to our questions bordering on the above issues.
The spokesperson, Dr Jimoh was sent questions on his mobile number but he was yet to acknowledge of respond to the questions.
The Consumer Protection Council was also yet to respond to our enquiries.
The council has as part of its mandate is to protect and promote the interest and welfare of consumers by providing them with wider variety of quality products at competitive prices and ensuring the adoption of measures to guarantee that goods and services are safe for intended or normally safe use.
