Nigeria investigates cancer-causing Indomie claim

Nigerian authorities say they are investigating reports that Ethylene oxide, a potentially cancer-causing agent, was found in Indomie noodles, a brand of instant noodles popular in the country.

– Key points to note

“Tomorrow, May 2, 2023, NAFDAC’s food safety and applied nutrition directorate will randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while post-marketing surveillance directorate (will) samples from the markets,” Mojisola Adeyeye, director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is quoted by The Cable as saying.

Indomie is made by the Indonesian food giant, Indofood. Indofood, the largest instant noodle producer in the world, has 16 factories and over 15 billion packs of Indomie are produced annually.

Indomie is also exported to about 100 countries around the world and is especially popular in Nigeria since 1995. It is produced in Nigeria by Dufil Prima Food Plc. The company did not respond to calls seeking comments on Monday.

– Learn more

Last week, Malaysia and Taiwan recalled Indomie’s “special chicken” noodles after detecting ethylene oxide, a substance known to cause cancer.

Ethylene oxide, a colourless, odourless gas used for sterilizing medical devices and spices, can contribute to increased cancer risk, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The Ministry of Health in Malaysia said it had examined 36 samples of instant noodles from different brands since 2022 and found that 11 samples contained ethylene oxide.

The health department in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, said it detected ethylene oxide in two types of instant noodles, including the Indomie chicken flavour, following random inspections.

Indofoods defended the safety of its products saying they were safe for consumption.

“We would like to emphasize that … our Indomie instant noodles are safe for consumption,” Taufik Wiraatmadja, a member of the board of directors at Indofoods, said in a statement issued Friday.

“All instant noodles produced by (Indofood) in Indonesia are processed in compliance with the food safety standards from the Codex Standard for Instant Noodles and standards set by the Indonesian National Agency for Drug and Food Control (BPOM).”

– Extra care

Mrs Adeyeye said NAFDAC is working to ensure that the product is not smuggled into the country.

“It should be noted that Indomie noodles have been banned from being imported into the country for many years. It is one of the foods on the government prohibition list. It is not allowed in Nigeria, and therefore not registered by NAFDAC,” she said.

“What we are doing is an extra caution to ensure that the product is not smuggled in and if so, our post-marketing surveillance would detect it. We also want to be sure that the spices used for the Indomie and other noodles in Nigeria are tested.”