The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the continued use of potassium bromate in making bread despite its potential health hazards. Not minding available substitutes for potassium bromate, many Nigerian bakers still use it in making bread. The quantity of bromate they use in bread is far above the acceptable level thereby subjecting millions of their customers to avoidable health hazards, including cancer and other deadly diseases.
Until recently, potassium bromate was widely used as a flour improver for bread making in different parts of the world due to its slow oxidizing action, which strengthens bread dough and aids in creating a good texture in the finished product. It is recognised for its ability to modify the gluten protein in flour, resulting in a softer and less elastic texture in the final product. But its use has been found to adverse effects on the health of consumers.
Available research shows that consumers of bread baked with potassium bromate are prone to many illnesses, including cancer and kidney failure. The health hazard posed by potassium bromate led to its ban in 2004 by NAFDAC, the agency responsible for regulating drugs, foods and chemicals in Nigeria, on account of its carcinogenicity effects. In spite of the ban, some Nigerian bakeries have continued to use the product, which triggered a recent warning by the agency against the use of bromate in bread production.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who gave the warning, said the agency had closed down a few bakeries for using potassium bromate in bread production. The NAFDAC boss warned that any bakery caught in the act would face the wrath of the law. However, the Professional Bakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN) has called on NAFDAC to sanitise the bakery industry by going after quacks, who are mainly interested in making profit at the expense of the health of the consumers of their products.
Beyond the alarm, NAFDAC must do more to apprehend those still using potassium bromate in bread. Let the agency carry out routine post-marketing surveillance instead of waiting for complaints to be brought to them by consumers before taking action. It should also organize public enlightenment programmes in all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT to educate consumers on the dangers of consuming bread made with potassium bromate. It should equally let the consumers know how to distinguish bread made with bromate and those without the cancer-causing substance.
The agency should come up with stiffer sanctions against bread producers still using bromate. We believe that giving the offenders adequate sanctions will deter others from using bromate in making bread. Let NAFDAC provide hotlines where consumers can report suspected cases. Alternatively, bakers flouting the NAFDAC regulation should be prosecuted. The current practice of shutting down recalcitrant bakeries is not deterrent enough. Bakers who compromise the safety of consumers should be punished.
Let NAFDAC ensure that all bakers are registered and that they belong to the bakers association. Having all of them in one body will ensure seamless regulation and monitoring. It is time NAFDAC tracks illegal bakeries and close them. In everything, the health of Nigerians should be paramount. NAFDAC should go after those producing bread without brand names. It is likely that those who patronize unregistered bread or bread made with bromate do so out of ignorance and oblivious of the health implications. They may do so because their products are usually cheap.
It has been established that the use of a small percentage of potassium bromate is not dangerous to health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have recommended an acceptable daily intake of 0.02 mg.kg-1 of potassium bromate in bread. However, those who use bromate in bread far exceed this threshold. It is difficult to enforce the acceptable bromate usage in bread. This can possibly explain its prohibition in making bread by NAFDAC. Reports suggest that most of the bread brands sampled in major cities in Nigeria contain over 0.05mg/kg of potassium bromate.
Heavy metal traces have been reported in some bread sampled in Nigeria. These include mercury, magnesium and lead, all associated with neurological damage, suppression of the immune system, lung cancer and behavioural and developmental problems. They can also lead to pulmonary adenocarcinomas, prostatic lesions, bone complications, kidney dysfunction and hypertension. Potassium bromate toxicity can cause abdominal pain and vomiting. Worst cases can lead to cancer and kidney damage. We urge NAFDAC to be decisive in enforcing the ban of bromate in bread.