From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday said the outcome of analytical testing of Golden Penny Semovita returned safe for human consumption.
Golden Penny Semovita is manufactured by Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, a registered company with marketing authorisation by NAFDAC to manufacture the product in Nigeria.
NAFDAC said it had initiated investigation in response to a claim as contained in a video posted on social media, in which a particular woman claimed that the residue she got after sieving the product was plastic.
It said the development necessitated that they conduct emergency post-marketing analysis using different brands of Semolina, and the outcome was contrary to the claims contained in the video posted on social media.
Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement, yesterday, confirmed that analytical testing was conducted in the agency’s internationally accredited laboratories to be sure of the outcome.
She said: “The results showed that there was no plastic or any similar harmful contaminants in Golden Penny Semovita. Rather, it contained the expected components plus the required Vitamin A.
“We, therefore, wish to inform Nigerians that the claim in the social media video assertions was misleading.
“The alleged Golden Penny Semovita is a brand of semolina, a very popular flour made from wheat and consumed in several parts of the world. Semolina contains mainly water, carbohydrates and about 13 percent of gluten-forming proteins.”
She reassured the public that the product and, indeed, all other semolina products registered by the agency are safe for human consumption, having been so approved by the agency, following science-driven regulatory diligence.
She maintained that there is no cause for apprehension by consumers, stressing that such approved products are manufactured in line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and in compliance with the Nigerian Industrial Standards, which is continuously monitored by NAFDAC.
She, thus, appealed to Nigerians to exercise discretion in the use of social media to address any suspicion they may have on regulated products, insisting that resorting to social media has the tendency to cause fear and panic.