The Nation Newspaper

Tag: paste

  • Ban imported tomato paste, don tells govt

    A Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Management, Goke Bodunde, has called on the government to ban imported tomato paste and other agricultural produce that do not meet set standards.

    Delivering the 59th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB)  titled: “Unveiling the beauty of an unforbidden fruit”, Bodunde said some imported paste contain up to 50 per cent starch before dilution in Nigeria where an additional 15  per cent starch is often added.

    With yearly demand for tomato standing at 2.45 million metric tons (MT) per year compared to the 1.8 million MT produced, Bodunde said a scramble to satisfy the market had led to unethical abuses detrimental to human health.

    “This is the story of some of the tomato paste and puree imported into Nigeria, 91.1 per cent of which according to NAFDAC (2015), failed to meet the required standard,” he said.

    “It is noteworthy that most of the pastes are imported as concentrates in drums and big cans from Italy, India and China. They are usually diluted, packaged and finally canned by various canning industries in Nigeria”.

    The don attributed the country’s poor yield of the fruit to the importation of substandard tomato paste and consumption of rotten tomato fruits called esha in tomato markets of Southwest.

    He said Nigeria had the poorest yield performance of tomato in the world with about four to five tonnes per hectare (t/ha), compared to Egypt’s 39.7t/ha and South Africa with 78.7t/ha.

    Bodunde also said environmental and management factor was responsible for the country’s low yield which is two per cent of the total world’s total despite being widely cultivated.

    On the way forward, the don recommended that the university, which is endowed with huge human and material potential, could promote interest in research along the tomato value chain.

    He suggested that universities and research institutes should encourage researchers’ adoption of crop commodities for crop-based research to reap the benefit of comparative advantage of in-depth knowledge of individual crops.

    Bodunde strongly advocated for investment in tomato canning industry by the public and private sector, as well as the promotion of research-industry linkage and funding for research by the three tiers of government.

  • Killing local tomato paste brands

    Killing local tomato paste brands

    Porous borders and ignorance have been  identified as the biggest challenges of growing local tomato paste brands in Nigeria, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    These are trying times for owners of locally-produced tomato paste brands. A recent undercover survey report by the industry has revealed that Nigeria’s porous borders and the poor capacity of consumers to differentiate between quality and substandard tomatoes paste products are the biggest threat to the survival of local brands.

    For local players, Seme and Cotonou in Benin Republic are the conduit through which unapproved imported tomatoes brands flood the Nigerian market, hence, posing a big challenge to local brands.

    “All the 12 warehouses visited eagerly offered to deliver in Nigeria any quantity of any brand chosen within two days if 70 per cent down payment is made. A top distributor in Cotonou, Fedinand Ababio showed us packed consignments he claimed would be delivered to Nigeria that night,” the report stated.

    With Nigeria’s economy dominated by substandard and cheap tomato paste smuggled across the borders, some local brands, such as Vitali, Ric-Giko and Sonia, grapple for survival.

    While unapproved imported brands have penetrated most homes, industry brand handlers are worried that low consumer education remains another challenge to deal with.

    The recent survey revealed that the yardstick used by most consumers to pick their preferred tomato brand is the level of “thickness” and “redness” of the paste.  About 22 housewives and caterers, who were interviewed in three areas of Lagos, said they used these yardsticks to determine their choice.

    However, recent findings revealed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) showed there is need for massive consumer education on tomato paste brands that are healthy to avoid self-poisoning among consumers in the country.

    The Nation learnt that NAFDAC officials recently visited 27 main markets and four major supermarkets around Lagos and picked 330 samples of tomato pastes for laboratory analysis. The results for 314 were later released. Of 314 released, 286 of these tomato pastes originating from China, representing 91.1 percent, were found unsatisfactory in terms of tomato content. Only 28 returned satisfactory, even though both satisfactory and unsatisfactory tomato pastes had the same red colour.

    “The red in most of the tomato pastes imported into Nigeria indicate an addition of colorant, which is prohibited, dangerous to health and shows that Chinese companies are merely adding colour, rather than the raw material called concentrates, into tomato pastes imported into Nigeria. These colouring stick to veins, arteries and vital organs  accumulate to cause cancer, hypertension and other diseases,” the report stated.

    It was also revealed that majority of the imported tomato pastes in the country do not contain lycopene, thereby exposing millions of Nigerians to cancer and other deadly diseases.

    “Lycopene, is a free radical-fighting antioxidants. Free radicals are damaging molecules that float around in the body disrupting cells and promoting disease. Antioxidants, such as lycopene, destroy free radicals so they can’t attach to your cells and wreak havoc on the immune system. The deception is completed by reducing the content of tomato concentrates and filling up the space with starch to boost thickness,” the report stated.

    However, the President/Chief Executive Officer Erisco Foods Ltd, Eric Umeofia, said activities of nefarious tomato paste importers, supported by an ignorant consuming public are almost bringing the local tomatoes industry to its knees.”We have huge stocks of finished products worth billions of naira in our warehouses which we are not selling due to dumping of these dangerous and substandard brands of tomato paste from China that are cheap and filled with starch and colours,” he said.

    Umeofia also revealed that with about “1,000 containers of tomato coming into Lagos port every week. Nigeria is losing $1 billion to tomato paste importers every year.”

  • Tomato paste importers seek review of forex policy

    Tomato paste importers seek review of forex policy

    Some importers have called on the Federal Government to review the Central Bank of Nigeria forex policy banning them from accessing foreign exchange from the official window just as indigenous producers are saying that the restriction is a welcome development in restoring agriculture as the main stay of the economy.

    Labour union officials in some of the local tomato processing companies have called on the presidency to prevail on CBN to review the forex policy listing of triple concentrate tomato paste among the 41 items banned from accessing foreign exchange from the official window by the Central Bank of Nigeria as the inability of the firms to import tomato concentrate which is the main raw materials used in their production process had drastically affected them.

    According to the President, National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees, Lateef Oyelekan, the companies involved should be given the latitude to plan for backward integration as one of the downside of the policy is that it could lead to massive job losses, as an estimated 1000 jobs are likelyto be lost in the tomato process manufacturing sector.

    “The jobs of the workers are at stake unless the ban is reversed, and that the opportunity for backward integration would be lost by the affected companies.”

    According to him, the quantity of the produce being cultivated presently in the country is not enough for local consumption and the quality is not good enough to be processed into paste. However, Mr. Felix Aigoro, an Agricultural Expert with over 20 years experience in tomato farming, pointed out that Nigeria produces high quality tomato and is ranked the 2nd largest producer of tomato in Africa and 13th in the world with a total production estimated at 1million hectares of land producing 1.701 million tonnes per annum with average of 20-30 tons/hectare yet Nigeria remains the largest importer of tomato from China.

    In an interview with The Nation, the Agricultural expert on tomato adviced those clamoring for the review of the CBN forex policy to rather ask Government for greater aid and support towards granting low interest loans, infrastructures, steady energy and creating enough tomato processing plants.

    “It is estimated that between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of the total agricultural produce in the country is lost due to absence of non- provision of processing facilities. This has resulted in cycles of scarcity and plenty of fluctuations in prices”, regretted the tomato farmer.

    Decrying the unfortunate situation, the tomato farmer said that Nigeria imports 65,809 tonnes of processed tomato annually worth over N11.7 billion despite its massive local production adding that the trend may continue if adequate processing and storage mechanism is not developed and put in place.

    “Take for instance, a recent survey has revealed that most of the brands in the market are imported and the presence of local brands is scarcely noticeable’’, he said

    Speaking further, he said that although more than 200,000 Nigerian farmers grow tomato, not one of the more than 50 tomato paste brands for sale is made from their produce resulting in half rotting in the fields before reaching the market.

    “The market is assured for any entrepreneur who comes out with good quality brands because tomato products are in daily use, have high repeat sales tendency and a long cycle therefor establishing more tomato fruit processing plants in the country will go a long way towards utilizing the enormous quantities of fresh tomato that go waste for lack of processing and preservation especially during post harvest periods of plenty.

    Reacting to the statement that local production may not be enough to meet demand and the quality of the locally grown tomato may not be good enough to be processed into paste, Mr. Aigoro who has a 1st and 2nd degree in Agricultural science said that “Nigeria has the capacity to meet local demand and even for exportation and the quality of our tomato especially from the northern part of the country is top quality”.

    “We have seen a lot of improvement in the demand for our products especially our Life vegetable oil since the new CBN forex policy restricting importers of Vegetable oil from accessing foreign exchange through the official way” enthused Chris Chigbo, Executive Director of Chicason Group an indigenous company.

    Speaking, he noted that the restriction of imported finished products will greatly encourage local manufacturers who hitherto were finding it difficult competing in terms of price with most of the importers who were not even paying full duty on their products.

    “We are also happy with the increased tariff on imported lubricants. Before now, the market was filled with all brands of adulterated and substandard lubricants but with the increased tariff we now have some semblance of sanity in the lubricant market” said the Chicason, Director,manufacturers of A-Z oil.

    However he stated the need for a little review of the CBN forex policy on some raw materials which Nigerians are not yet producing enough to meet demand adding that restrictions on those materials will only make the manufacturers to source from parallel market which will  increase the price of the finished products.

    Also speaking on the policy, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Remi Bello, while criticizing the policy, warned that most manufacturers might be forced to shut down and move their operations to neighbouring countries due to their inability to access foreign exchange for raw materials and other critical inputs.

    According to him, the government needs to first address the issue of post-harvest wastage emanating from inadequate storage and the absence of processing facilities and the development of agro-allied industry. “No matter how bounteous the nation’s harvest is, such productivity will count for little if the produce cannot be stored.” he said.

    However the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele noted that as a result of the policy, the bank has been able to conserve some foreign currencies with a lot of progress made on local production of the 41 listed items.

    According to reports, Nigeria imports 65,809 tonnes of processed tomato annually worth over N11.7billion.

    The CBN Governor clarified that “the Apex bank did not ban total importation of the said items but only restricted access of foreign exchange from official markets to the importers of those items that we think we can produce competitively locally so as to improve our local industries due to the challenges we have, due to the fall in crude oil revenue.”

    Appealing for more patience and understanding, from Nigerians and the people affected, he said that the Government and some other stakeholders are convinced that these items can be produced locally adding that forex can only be made available to those importing essential raw materials and goods that cannot be produced within the country.

  • Your tooth paste is loaded with killer poisons…3

    Inevitably, this series has to jump the gun. This installment should be the second. But, last week, the Printer’s Devil was at work, and the first part of the series was mistakenly published as the second. If the series has to maintain the natural sequence, today’s installment will pass, also, as the second, and that would create confusion. The Printer’s Devil has created enough trouble with the misnumbering of the first as the second installment.

    Thanks, Mr. Erondu Obisike an agro-consultant of Aba, for calling me on the telephone to ask about when the first part was published. So, to avert new confusion, this second part of the series now goes as the third.

    Last week, this column, on the international discussion of the terrible poison toothpaste has become, and of how, in countries enlightened about this travail, many people are making their own toothpastes at home or switching over to more expensive and safer toothpastes made with natural products and not poisonous man-made chemicals. The public castigation of fluoride and other poisons in popular toothpastes underscores how science and medicine lead humanity to the ruin of human health today, only to discover their folly tomorrow, cry wolf the day after and try to salvage the wreckage they have caused. Many toothpastes are still advertised on Nigerian televisions as the best for dental and oral care whereas, in the countries from where flouridised toothpaste came into Nigeria, such toothpastes have been named as the culprit behind many diseases. These poisons are said by scientists to raise blood sugar, and lower insulin blood levels, thereby predisposing some people to diabetes, damage the endocrime system, cause hormonal imbalances, damage or discolour the teeth, cause canker sores and, in some cases, set the stage for cancer. One of the readers of this column said that, when he discussed the column with a medical doctor, the gentleman dismissed such possibilities with a wave of the hand.

    At a group meeting where we discussed this issue with the aim of reviving interest in Nigeria traditional ways of cleaning the teeth, gums and mouth, almost everyone who spoke felt sorry for this doctor. For it was either that he was an unbalanced person, a professional jingoist, pathologically indisposed to, or opposed to Alternative (or natural) Medicine or simply, an “educated illiterate”. It is disturbing to imagine that this is a doctor thousands of people depend upon to stay healthy.

    Why would he not examine the claims and investigate them before jumping into conclusions? Is he saying leading researchers and doctors in those countries whose views have influenced government and legal decisions are sub-professionals? Thankfully, many Nigerians now know that we live in a world poisoned by man-made chemicals, and that, it is better to return to Mother Nature in every matter which may affect their health.

    Natural Options

    Our discussion group recalled the good, old Nigerian chewing stick. Of the pack of many varieties, I remember four :

    • Ijebu chewing stick
    • Calabar chewing stick
    • Orin ata (r:m … r:r), the Yoruba name kagara, the peppery chewing stick from which medicinal extracts have been made for ameliorating symptoms of sickle cell disease.
    • Dongoyaro (neem) chewing stick.

    The discussion group wondered why these chewing sticks cannot be commercially produced and powderised.

    If you googlePakoIjebu (Ijebu chewing stick), it should present you with a study on this chewing stick and Orin ayan (r:m: .. d:m), also called Orin ata. The study involved 60 primary school children aged 12 years old. They were divided into three groups. One group was given toothpaste and toothbrush. Another group was given PakoIjebu (MassulariaAcuminata)The third group was placed on Orin ayan (benthamianus). The experiments to find out effects on the different mouth, gum and teeth cleaners ran for six weeks. At the end of it all, toothpaste exhibited no superiority over the others. The best results were achieved in the group which chewed Orin ayan.

    Mr. Azeez Oyeniyi from Ogbomoso, who lives in Lagos, reminds me that some people chew sticks from the stem of the mango tree or from that of Jathropha (IgiLapalapa, Yoruba). When I was a university student in the 1970s, I chewed the twigs of Neem tree whenever I had no toothpaste. Neem is medicinal. The French wife of former Senegalese President Wade once told me she made anti-malaria syrup for Senegalese children from the ripe seeds of Dogonyaro (Neem) tree. When Dogonyaro leaf powder is sprinkled in the corners of a room, the aroma chases away pests and rats. Dogonyaro soap clears skin blemishes and is antiseptic.

    ccording to www.m.webmd.com/…/neem/sources, “Neem has medicinal properties useful for bleeding nose, eye disorders, leprosy, fungal and viral infections etc. In 1992, the United States National Academy of Sciences published a report on neem tree ‘for solving global problems’ Neem is anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-pyretic, hypoglycemic (lowering blood sugar), anti-gastric ulcer, spermicidal (sperm killing in contraceptive) etc.

    When I survey with a bird’s eye view, the opportunities which abound in Nature for keeping the gums and teeth healthy without resorting to poisonous toothpastes, I cannot help wondering how stupid we are in this country. A lot of money is stolen every year from the public treasury. Maybe the thieves can be forgiven if they spend the loot to improve the wellbeing and health of the people they trample.

    In Lagos and some other Nigerian cities, local initiative is handsomely paying off. Two brands of powder mouth cleaners rule the dental and oral care market. One is called MAYOWA. The other is JIMS. On the product label, Mayowa is described as made from Calcium, Alligator pepper, Saccharin etc.

    Saccharin serves as a sweetener. How I wish it is not a part of the formula. For Saccharin is one of the ingredients naturalists object to in the regular toothpaste, for which reason some toothpaste manufacturers go for another sweetener which, unfortunately degrades into formaldehydes, a cancer-causing agent. JIMS is made from natural substances, as the product label says. There are alligator pepper and Aloe Vera in the formula.

    any Nigerians should remember wood ash and charcoal. Charcoal is a wonderful teeth whitener. Our mothers cleaned our teeth with it when we were children. If you wish to know how powerful against germs charcoal can be, watch Nigerian women. When they grind pepper in the market for cooking back home, they recognize that, in the time lag between when they leave the market and when they arrive home, germs can degrade the pepper puree. Evidence of this is the altered taste and aroma, in addition to a foam over the puree. Experienced Nigerian women would place a piece of wood charcoal on the pepper puree, and this would inactivate any degrading germ action. For mouth and dental care purposes, I would recommend Activated Charcoal. Activated Charcoal is purified charcoal. It is “magnetic” and attracts germs, wastes, poisons etc which it drags out of the body when it is consumed internally. Charcoal is not digested by the body. Thus, it is used as a marker to test digestive system efficiency. If it comes out in the stool about 18 hours after ingestion, the digestive system is said to work well. Many years ago this column suggested it be kept in the family medicine chest. When anyone complains of “stomach” pain and is given a charcoal capsule to swallow, or the capsule is unscrewed and the content is poured into the mouth and washed down with water, the trouble often subsides. Thus charcoal is a good oral health agent. It may be suspended, say, in coconut oil, another antimicrobial, and brushed across the teeth.

    According EDMARK

    “95 percent” of the world’s Toothpastes are Fluoride Toothpastes.

    Is Fluoride Harming Your Teeth?

    2007 – American Dental Association first warned the public that infants should not use fluoride due to fluorosis.

    2010 – Journal of The American Dental Association published a story that “fluoride is actually bad for your teeth”.

    U.S  Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state:

    ‘In children younger than 8 years, of age, combined fluoride exposure from all sources-water, food, toothpastes, mouth rinse, or other products-contributes to enamel fluorosis’.

    RISKS FROM INGESTING FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE INCLUDE:

    • Permanent Discoloration (Dental Fluorosis): Dental fluorosis is defect in tooth enamel caused by excessive fluoride intake during the tooth –forming years (age 0-8).
    • Stomach Ailments: poison Control Centres received thousands of reports in US alone due to excessive ingestion of fluoride toothpastes and other fluoridated dental products.

    Fluoride ingestion can cause a range of gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, pain and vomiting. In 2006, National Research Council in US called for research on the level of fluoride in the stomach to cause these symptoms.

    • Acute Poisoning: children who swallow too much fluoride toothpastes can suffer acute poisoning, even death.

    In the early 1990s (prior to FDA warning), 1,000 poisoning reports received each year from fluoride toothpaste.

    Today (after FDA warning), 23,000 reports a year are received from fluoride toothpaste.

    • Skin Rashes (Perioral Dermatitis): The use of fluoride toothpastes my cause or aggravate perioral dermatitis (a rosacea-like skin rash around the mouth. In addition, it may also cause Stomatitis (Mouth ulcers, “canker sores”).
    • Impairment in Glucose Metabolism: The use of fluoride tooth paste can cause an increase in glucose levels in the blood, and decrease levels of insulin. Increase in glucose levels can contribute to Diabetes.

     

    WILL YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH LEAD?

    Then why are you using fluorides?! Fluoride is more toxic than lead, and only slightly less toxic than arsenic.

    Replacing Fluoride with Xylitol and Chlorophyll

    Another recipe comes from everydayroots.com; teethwhite.com, offered by CLAIRE GOODHALL. He suggests strawberry, sea salt and Baking Soda with Coconut oil. Another is Baking Soda and lemon juice paste.

    Proprietary Blends on the Nigeria market today, there are some factory formulated natural toothpastes oil claiming to be fluoride free. They are sold on the network marketing. They may be obtained at cheaper costs by any-one who wishes to permanently change over to them one of these days. Aloe BRIGHT TOOTPASTE was introduced to me by Mrs MonilolaAiyesimoju. It comes from Forever Living Products in a formulation of Aloe Vera, the specialty of FLP, and Bee Propoles with spear mint and pepper mint for freshening flavor. Aloe Vera hardly needs any introduction as an anti-microbial, tissue regenerator and rehydrator. Propolis is the antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal substance, the honey bees coat their hives with, to keep infections agents away. This toothpaste certainly is much more health promoting than commercial toothpaste.

    When eternal network came to Nigeria, I gave the link to Pa Akinjide Shoboyede who should be Seventy Eight (78) or thereabout next year. From eternal he buys eternal toothpaste which he informs me has helped many people to stop their gums from bleeding. He told me last week: “Eternal toothpaste is the one I use.” The product literature says; it’s one tooth paste, but with triple cares!

    he first care is CIFC-free and moth-proofing: white Tea Essence CaGP Calcium glycerophosphate) + Xylitol (xylitol) compound Ingredients, which strengthens the tooth root and solidify the tooth. Thereby preventing teeth cavities.

    The second care is deep Cleanness: antibacterial TCS + high-quality clean tooth both abrasive, which make your oral cavity healthy and clean.

    The third care is consolidating the gums: strontium chloride + Aloe extract compound ingredients, which can strengthen the tooth root and toughen the tooth.

    The constituent ingredients are: Water, scorbic sugar alcohol hydrated silica, glycerin, sodium lauryl sulfate, xylose alcohol, essence, polyethylene glycol-32, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, saccharin sodium, tea, (CAMELLIA SINESIS) leaf, extract, aloe extract, triclosan, glycerin calcium, phosphate, chlorinated strontium hexahydrates mint kefone glycerin ketal, trisodium phosphate, mentol and sodium benzoate.

    ARGUABLY, SPLINA CHLOROPHYLL TOOTHPASTE FROM EDMARK is the latest natural proprietary blend in town. Among EDMARK’S well-known products from which this tooth-paste factored is SPLINA LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL. This product is made from ALFALFA (Arat) word which means father of all plants because it has about the longest root system (250 ft) which brings to the plant some of the rarest nutrients not found in other plants.

    Alfalfa is one of the richest plants in chlorophyll, a cleanser, detoxifier, antimicrobial e.t.c

    Xylitol is a chemical categorized as a polyalcohol or sugar alcohol.

    It is a 100 percent natural, safe and convenient sugar substitute with long lasting benefits. Xylitol-containing toothpastes have been adequately studied and have the potential for use in specific or generalised health programs to promote oral health and reduce tooth decay.

    The World Health Organisation has even given Xylitol its safest rating for food additives.

    In dental plaque prevention, xylitol has been shown to have an active protective effects by reducing tooth decay.

    Xylitol reduces the levels of mutans streptococci in plaque and saliva, thereby limiting the level of enamel-demineralizing lactic acid produced by these bacteria.

    Xylitol is superior to sorbitol (found in other toothpaste) in that it is completely non-acidogenic and non –carciogenic. It has actively prevented tooth decay.

    BENEFITS OF CHLOROPHYLL

    Chlorophyll helps improve oral health

    Aside from improving bone structure, chlorophyll can actually help improve the strength of your teeth.

    Chlorophyll can help kill bad breath “Halitosis”. It is rich in Magnesium and Iron that helps to reduce foul smells.

    Clears up pyorrhea (infection of the gums) and Gingivitis (bleeding gums).

    Chlorophyll reduces destructive acids which caused bacterial growth and tooth decay.