According to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerians should avoid eating frozen chicken and turkey that has been stored with formalin.
When formaldehyde is dissolved in water, it becomes formalin, which is used as an industrial disinfectant and a preservation in funeral homes and medical labs. It is a toxic substance that is commonly used in mortuaries to preserve the human body.
In an interview with NAN, NAFDAC spokesman Dr. Abubakar Jimoh stated that unscrupulous business owners had been using formalin to preserve poultry products, particularly chicken and turkey.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is alerting Nigerians to this practice. Despite the Federal Government's ban, there are enough poultry goods in the country to avoid having to rely on smuggled frozen chicken,” Jimoh added.
According to the NAFDAC spokesman, consumers should be aware of the economic benefits of sponsoring business owners who smuggle chicken products into the country. He pointed out that if such favoritism continues, indigenous poultry farmers and marketers will not be able to grow as quickly as they would like, because the money spent on smuggled products will only go to the producers of the products.