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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate, yesterday, resolved to prescribe stiffer punishments for users of harmful chemical substances in food production in Nigeria.
The apex legislative chamber has directed relevant regulatory agencies to urgently begin enforcement of food safety standards through legal and administrative means.
It also urged the Federal Government to strengthen laws and enforcement mechanisms to stop the widespread use of harmful substances in food production across the country.
The lawmakers directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Nigeria Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFOST) to embark on continuous public sensitisation and enlightenment campaigns on the dangers of chemical ripening of fruits and other unsafe food-handling practices.
These followed the consideration and adoption of recommendations of the report of the Senate Joint Committees on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) and Agricultural Services Production and Rural Development on the ‘urgent need to investigate, with an intention to halt, the continuous unwholesome practices of chemical ripening of fruits by the sellers in Nigeria.’
The recommendations followed an investigative hearing held on July 17, 2025, where the committee uncovered disturbing practices across the food supply chain.
Findings of the committee revealed that some fruit vendors and food handlers now engage in forced ripening of fruits with raw calcium carbide, a toxic chemical known to cause serious health complications. It also found that some cook meat with paracetamol to soften it, preserve grains with sniper (Dichlorvos), wash fruits and vegetables with detergents to make them look fresher, and soak cassava in detergent or hypo solution.
In addition, it was discovered that certain traders use banned Sudan IV dyes to enhance the colour of palm oil and red pepper, while others burn tyres to remove animal furs from skins.
The senators also raised concern over the use of Morpholine, a waxing agent applied on fruits and vegetables, which has been banned by the European Union because of its toxicity. According to the committee, these practices pose grave health threats and have been linked to cancer, kidney and liver diseases, and food-borne infections such as cholera and lassa fever.
They cited data showing that Nigeria recorded over 14,000 cases of cholera in 2025, resulting in 378 deaths, while 119 people died from food-related lassa fever infections within the same period. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that the country suffers more than one million cases of food-borne illnesses annually, leading to economic losses of over $3.6 billion.
The Senate described the situation as a public health emergency rather than a consumer rights issue, warning that the trend could worsen without strong legislative and regulatory intervention.
While warning that millions of Nigerians remain at risk of poisoning and long-term illnesses from contaminated food if urgent action is not taken, it recalled that Sections 243 to 245 of the Criminal Code already criminalise food, meat and water adulteration and urged strict enforcement of these provisions.
