Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye declared the scientific testing the agency conducted proved Indomie Instant Noodles is safe for consumption at a press conference on Thursday.
Addressing the media, Adeyeye emphasized the safety of locally-produced Indomie noodles in Nigeria. She assured consumers that the recalled ‘Special Chicken Flavour’ variant in Taiwan and Malaysia is not present anywhere in the Nigerian market.
According to the NAFDAC DG, “a total of 114 samples of instant noodles and additives were tested for ethylene oxide and heavy metal (ions). We got 58 samples from various factories, 24 samples from Lagos markets, 16 samples from Abuja, and 16 samples from Kano. Two methodologies were used to test the various samples collected, namely: Gas Chromatography – an analytical technique used to separate and detect the chemical components, and Mass Spectrometry Detector – an analytic technique by which chemical substances are identified by the sorting of gaseous ions in electric and magnetic fields.”
Explaining the delay in releasing the test result, Adeyeye stated that it was due to the fact that some of the reagent and technology used had to be imported into the country and also that the process had to be scientific and thoroughly done by NAFDAC.
To demonstrate her confidence in the result of the test conducted, the NAFDAC boss consumed a well prepared Instant Noodles meal during the conference, with her colleagues requesting her to share it with them..
Indomie, the leading noodles brand in Nigeria, has been a first choice among families for generations. The brand’s manufacturer, Dufil Prima Foods Limited, confirmed the positive outcome of the NAFDAC laboratory tests.
Group Corporate Communications and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Temitope Ashiwaju highlighted the company’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality standards both nationally and internationally and supporting the local economy.
Ashiwaju emphasized the unwavering dedication of the company to deliver unparalleled quality to its consumers, stating, “Our consumers over the years have trusted the quality of our products and hence the reason why they stood by the brand even while the test was carried out. Indomie noodles taste is to date inimitable, the quality is incomparably backed by consistent innovation and the quality assurance tests are regularly carried out in-house. We continue to be the number one instant noodles brand in Nigeria”
Speaking from the Dufil Prima Foods Lagos office, Ashiwaju said, “Indomie instant noodles brands are produced in Nigeria and operations have been ongoing for at least three decades. Dufil Prima has improved local capacity utilization which will lead to enhanced production and further employment of direct and indirect labour to meet market demands and surpass local and international standards.”
