The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the use of formalin to preserve frozen poultry products, warning Nigerians to avoid patronising such products.
According to NAFDAC, formalin is a poisonous chemical popularly used to preserve corpses in the mortuary.
NAFDAC’s spokesman, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, in Abuja said that some unscrupulous business persons were using formalin to preserve poultry products, particularly chicken and turkey for a longer life span.
Jimoh, who explained that formalin was capable of preserving products for weeks before getting to consumers, warned of the danger in patronising businesses who smuggle poultry products into the country.
“NAFDAC is alerting Nigerians about this practice. There are enough poultry products in the country than to resort to frozen chicken smuggled in, despite the existing government’s ban,” he said.
Jimoh added that if smuggled products were being patronised, indigenous poultry businesses would not experience the desired growth.
Patronage of imported or smuggled products will continue to affect Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves, he said.