Product package label gives conflicting information about manufacturing date
A lawyer, Mr. James Uchenna, has raised the alarm over a suspicious packaged meat product, Spicy Foods Quality Meat Products, he recently purchased from the market.
The product, which is produced in Ghana by Spicy Foods, is a kilogram of red meat and packaged in a plastic bag. The ingredients of the product comprises beef, chicken, water, starch, soya, sodium polyphosphate E451, sodium glutamate, sodium nitrate (E 250), salt, spices and flavouring.
Uchenna, however, alleged that the manufacturing date on the food pack read 15|3|2018, with Batch No SF- 00072 and Expiry Date, 14|9| 2018, whereas he purchased the product from the market on March 5, 2018, ten clear days after he bought it.
According to him, “I bought this meat from the market on the 5th March 2018, and I kept it in the refrigerator till the next day. On the 6th March, I brought it out to cook, I looked at the label and discovered that the manufacturing date is the next ten days after my purchase.
“Ordinarily, I overlooked it at first, but I gave it a second thought that this product might be a substandard product because one hardly finds this kind of defect in genuine products. I want Nigerians to be aware of the things they buy in the market as food labels are important and should be read before consumption.”
A food scientist with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Mr. Yakuba Issa, noted that such a product with false information could pose a serious health hazard such as obesity and other diet related problems, if consumed by individuals, because it showed unprofessionalism in its production process, which could also affect the real product in question.
“It is extremely risky for someone to consume a product that carries inaccurate information. It could also be inaccurate in its composition, which can bring about health problems. All imported products usually have food and drug agencies in their respective countries, which certify the authenticity of produced foods. So, if they could be found wanting in this regard, it means they are not professionally certified in food and drug regulation issues,” Issa said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Operations Unit Zone A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Attah Jerry, told our correspondent that NIS operatives were not aware of such product in the country.
Jerry said that that before the NIS could react to the issue, a thorough investigation must be conducted.
“I don’t know about the product you are talking about, but I need to get the full information about the product before I can say anything about the issue. I can assure you that when we investigate fully, then we would be able to give you a feedback,” the Customs spokesman said.
Efforts to speak with the Chief Public Relations Officer of the National Food Drug Administration and Control, Mrs. Christiana Obiazikwor, on the matter proved abortive.
Obiazikwor did not pick calls made to her phone. She did not also reply text messages sent to her.
