Some years ago, healthy eating was a topic for cranks, and to most people, healthy food meant tasteless food. But now people are realizing the need to eat wisely and also that healthy dishes can taste as good as any other dish, if not better.
There is a general recognition that we are indeed what we eat. If we eat unwisely, we invite affliction upon ourselves and vice versa. People are realizing now that nutrition plays a major role in a long life. The state of the mind, the shape of the body, and the healthiness of the entire self are largely due to the kind of food we are disposed to.
The diseases that kill most people –cancer and heart disease are the very ones in which nutrition plays the biggest part. Unlike your genes, nutrition is something you can control. What you eat is something you can determine.
Because of the harsh economy and unscrupulous businessmen, the market has been flooded with all manners of substandard, adulterated, counterfeit and unbranded medicine, food products, and unfortunately, because they are cheaper, people are patronizing them, not minding the negative health implications.
A visit to most markets in Nigeria will have you seeing unbranded cereals, powdered milk, noodles, monosodium glutamate [MSG], etcetera in transparent nylon bags strategically displayed for consumers, and buyers flock around these products.
The most worrisome is the consumption of raw MSG. In the Eastern part of Nigeria, it is called ‘Magi white’, in the West, it is called the same name; while in the Northern part of the country where the market is thriving, it is called ‘Chinese white magi’ or ‘Farin Magi.’
MSG is a food additive that acts as a preservative or as an enhancer of palatability. It is also known as sodium glutamate. It is a sodium salt of glutamic acid.
Investigation reveals that it is thriving most in the northern part of Nigeria, maybe because of their food culture. A visit to most markets in Northern Nigeria shows that there is a huge influx of unbranded products. Like it is with adulterated products, many unbranded Monosodium Glutamate [MSG] are rewrapped and displayed in transparent nylon bags for consumers to buy. The most worrisome is the fact that the consumption of this unbranded MSG has grown significantly among Northerners, posing a serious health risk.
Despite increasing warnings from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), consumers have remained hell-bent on patronizing unbranded and rewrapped MSG. This is because the unbranded MSG are sold in the open, from uncovered unbranded sacks and in measurements to unsuspecting buyers who have chosen quantity over quality. Unlike leading brands like Ajinomoto, Vedan, which are packed in sachets, sold in healthy sizes and approved by NAFDAC, these unbranded raw ones are the opposite. The alarming part is that their manufacturers cannot be traced to check for their authenticity.
In the Northern part of Nigeria, it seems it has come to stay because the demand is high.
Investigation revealed that at the Singer Market and Abubakar Rimi Market in Kano, a 25kg bag sells for N45,000, allowing retailers to sell in small units, including measuring in what locals call ‘mudu’. At the central markets in Kaduna and Maiduguri and,, Sabon Gari market in Sokoto, the demand is very high and the price of a 25kg bag ranges between N46,000 and N50,000. In a 25kg bag, there are as many as 10 to 15 ‘mundus. ‘ The customers, not minding the health risks, prefer this unapproved product because of the number of mudus and the flexibility to adulterate the product by mixing it with salt to increase its bulk and make more profit. The food culture of the North,, too, being one that allows for very sweet drinks and sweet foods presents a good market for such seasonings.
Just recently, NAFDAC sealed a warehouse belonging to DEE-LITE IMPEX Distribution Co. Ltd in Sokoto State after discovering a large quantity of unregistered food products, including 5,347 bags of MSG. The warehouse located on Coca-Cola Road, off Western Bypass in Sokoto, was found to violate NAFDAC’s regulations.
According to NAFDAC, the company had imported Unbranded MSG under a permit intended for processing but was found selling the product directly as a finished product, which is prohibited and dangerous to human health.
A health expert who lives in Gombe, Dr. Abdullahi Guruji, said consumers should be wary of what they consume to avoid any health complications. Guruji said it was incumbent on the consumers not to sacrifice their health on the altar of the cheap pricing of food products.
He said the regulator had made it abundantly clear for consumers to look out for branded MSG before embarking on a purchase, wondering why they chose to ignore it at the expense of their lives.
“We should not compromise our health because of taste buds. We acknowledge the fact that times are tough, but we need to give due consideration to our health in our decision-making as far as food consumption is concerned,” he said.
Another food enthusiast who does not want his name in print believed that consumers have big roles to play in safeguarding their health. According to him, the responsibility to protect one’s health should not be limited to NAFDAC, SON and other regulatory bodies alone.
He urged every Nigerian to look out for themselves and their fellow citizens to avert this looming health hazard.
While calling on food vendors to play active roles in this regard, he urged them to be conscious of the health of their customers by using standard branded products in their cooking. The health expert, however, tasked NAFDAC to step up action in the area of enforcement, saying that doing so will curb the activities of unscrupulous Nigerians who are unrelenting in their effort to harm Nigerians.
“Whenever we visit the market, we would save many from serious health issues by shutting down the merchants of unbranded monosodium glutamate, the sellers of fake/substandard drugs, and the sellers of adulterated flavored drinks, bottled water among other items that serve as refreshments,” he added.
