The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned Nigerians about the dangers of consuming fruits forcefully ripened with harmful chemicals, particularly calcium carbide.

The warning was delivered on Monday during a one-day sensitisation programme on food quality standards organised by the agency in Ado-Ekiti.

Executive Chairman of FCCPC, Mr. Olatunji Bello, represented by the Director of Quality Assurance, Mrs. Nkechi Mba, condemned the increasing sale of adulterated and contaminated foods in markets, describing it as a major risk to public health.

Bello explained that calcium carbide contains toxic elements that threaten human well-being.

“Such alarming trends include principally, the forceful ripening of fruits, using harmful chemicals, such as calcium carbide, which contains trace amounts of arsenic and phosphorus, both of which are highly toxic to humans,” he said.

The FCCPC boss lamented that such practices endanger the lives of millions of Nigerians, erode consumer trust, and compromise the country’s food system.

He assured Nigerians that the commission would clamp down on violators, stressing that full enforcement of the law had already commenced. 

According to him, the sensitisation programme serves as the first step to alert unsuspecting consumers while sending a red signal to defiant perpetrators.

Bello disclosed that the FCCPC had already intervened in several cases through regular market surveys, which led to the shutdown of facilities, sanctions, and the prosecution of offenders.

“These practices not only endanger the lives of millions of Nigerians, but they also erode consumer trust and sabotage the integrity of our food systems,” Bello added.

To strengthen enforcement, Bello revealed that the FCCPC is working closely with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as well as the Federal Ministries of Health and Agriculture. 

He added that consumers are also responsible for carefully inspecting what they purchase from farms and markets.

Also speaking, the agency’s Director of Consumer and Business Education, Mr. Yahaya Kudan, noted that the sensitisation programme reflects the FCCPC’s commitment to empowering stakeholders across the food supply chain.

Kudan stressed that the agency remains dedicated to educating farmers, vendors, consumers, and businesses on safe and fair food production and distribution practices.

The programme brought together various stakeholders, including representatives from NAFDAC, SON, the Federal and Ekiti State Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Trade, Commerce and Investment. 

Source: Nairametrics