The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has threatened to shut down bakeries that go against the rule to use potassium bromate for baking bread.
The warning was issued by the director of establishment inspectorate of the agency, Hauwa Keri, in Adamawa State on Monday while speaking with the Master Bakers Association of Nigeria and the producers of sachet water and yogurts.
Ms. keri said that some bakers are still using the deadly chemical (Potassium bromate) to bake bread despite the ban on it.
“Bakeries found guilty of the offence of using bromate and saccharine instead of industrial sugar would be closed indefinitely,” she said.
The NAFDAC director wondered why bakers returned to the use of the substance after it was abandoned some few years back, and urged the association to use alternative enhancers approved by the agency.
Ms. Keri visited some bakeries in Jimeta metropolis and observed that although it was difficult to stop the smuggling of the substance into the country, the agency was out to stop its patronage.
“Bakers should also improve the sanitary conditions of their bakeries to prevent the outbreak of contagious diseases. A workshop on hygiene will be organised by the agency for the association,” she said