The National Agency for Food and
Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has sealed Haano Industries Ltd., Lagos,
over illegal revalidation of expiration date and distribution of unwholesome
fish products.
The industry is located at No. 144,
Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr Francis Ononiwu, Deputy
Director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, Lagos, said that
the agency had gone to the company for further investigations based on the
information they had.
“Based on intelligence report we
got on the date markings on the products, we came here.The information we had
was that the company had unwholesome cartons of fishes of which they had a
practice of re-validating expiration dates without approvals.
“We have taken the samples and what
we will do now is to send them to the laboratory. It is the laboratory that
will give us the exact conditions of the fish, whether it is wholesome or
unwholesome; and when the result comes out, we will make it public,’’ he said.
Ononiwu explained that the
Intelligence Gathering and Analysis Division of NAFDAC is responsible for
collecting intelligence through difference sources.
He said that though the preliminary
investigations so far showed that the intelligence was on course, they could
however not confirm the exact conditions of the frozen fishes until the
laboratory results were out.
“In spite of the fishes being
frozen, from the physical assessment, there are characteristics that point to
the fact that the state of the fishes before they got frozen was not okay.
Physically, they are suspects.
“However, physical examination is
not conclusive as the laboratory tests will be the final determinant; for now,
we are sealing the warehouse pending when the result comes out.”
On the punitive measures to be
taken if found guilty, Ononiwu said that sanctions would be carried out on the
industry according to NAFDAC laws on erring companies of which NAFDAC operated
with.
“There are many ways to sanction
them, if found guilty. It is going to be very stiff because we do not play with
what people take in or consume. So we are going to treat them hard if we find
out that what they are selling to the public is not wholesome.
“NAFDAC is dedicated to its
commitment to safeguarding public health by ensuring that only quality drugs,
food and products are manufactured, imported and circulated in Nigeria,’’
Ononiwu said.
A source from the Rapid Response
Squad (RRS) team, who was present at the premises of the industry, said that
they had been keeping constant surveillance on the company based on
information.
“Information got to us that the
Haano Industry had a practice of revalidating expiration dates without due
authorisation. We have been keeping observations and opening communication with
our source until we came here yesterday, but they did not grant us access.
“We came very early this morning
and we saw pieces of labels all over the warehouse; labels of products which
are to expire in March 2016. We invited the Ministry of Health and they sent
officers for inspection.
“There is a stench all over the
warehouse which is a pointer to the fact that the company was keeping
unwholesome fishes which they market to the public for consumption,’’ the RRS
source said.
In his response, Mr Soji, a
representative of Haano Industries Ltd. who is in the Human Resources
Department, said that the company would not make any comments yet.
According to him, the company will
wait for the State’s Ministry of Health and NAFDAC to conclude their
investigations before they can respond.
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