By Agbabuwe Precious
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has raised the alarm over the circulation of substandard and unregistered sugar products in the Nigerian market.
The FCCPC warned that the substandard sugar, primarily smuggled from Brazil, poses a significant threat to consumers’ health. It further stated that this practice undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s local sugar industry.
The FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, revealed in a statement issued on Wednesday that several brands failed to meet the required health and safety standards. Some of these brands include Terous, Grupo Moreno, Alvean, USI S. Joao, and Arapora Bionergia.
Ijagwu stated that these substandard products failed to meet the mandatory Vitamin A fortification standards, exposing consumers to health risks such as blindness and increased susceptibility to infections.
Ondaje Ijagwu further disclosed that some of the illegally imported brands contribute to price manipulation, which harms the Nigerian market. He also noted that these low-quality products lack proper labelling information, such as production and expiry dates, batch numbers, and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) numbers.
The Commission added that the absence of such vital labelling highlights that these low-quality products have not been tested for safety, further increasing their health risks.