A dietician, Fummilayo Abraham-Agbelusi, has warned that adding additives/chemicals to food and fruit to make them bigger or change their appearance and colour is dangerous to health. She noted that they could cause damage to body cells.
The Head, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Isolo General Hospital, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
Abrahma-Agbelusi stated that the additives mostly used by people were often without the approval and certification of the relevant regulatory authorities. Such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
She, however, explained that additives were needed to ensure that processed food remained safe. And to make them remain in good condition throughout its journey from factories or industrial kitchens. And also during transportation to warehouses and shops and finally to the consumers.
Abraham-Agbelusi expressed concern at the rate at which people added additives to foods. She warned that if the habit is left unchecked, could lead to life-threatening health conditions.
The dietician said, “The most trending ones are the usage of paracetamol in cooking meat to make it bigger and softer. She also lamented that people also add additives to fufu, palm oil, fruits, plantain and banana.
Abraham-Agbelusi noted that calcium carbide was another chemical often used by sellers to quicken the ripening of vegetables and fruits such as bananas and plantain.
She, therefore, warned that there were inherent dangers of the artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables. She maintained that the chemicals used to ripen fruits artificially were toxic. And could also affect the human neurological system.
“According to studies, calcium carbide, which some people use to quicken the ripening of fruits, can affect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypoxia – a condition of having low oxygen levels in the tissues.
“In addition, industrial-grade calcium carbide is often found contaminated with traces of arsenic and phosphorus, which are toxic chemicals.
“However, health benefits of fruits depend largely on how they are ripened. The best course will be to allow them to ripen on the plant itself. Or harvest/buy them unripe and allow them to naturally ripen without any additive,’’ she said.
Abraham-Agbelusi emphasized that the side effects of most of the additives far outweighed their benefits. Hence, they should be avoided.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), food additives are substances that are added to food to maintain the safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance of the food.
“An example of a food additive is sugar, which is used for preservation in marmalade.
“Unfortunately, people have abused the usage of additives. Having designed lots of additives/chemicals they add to food to get the desired size, taste, appearance, texture or colour.
“Any uncertified additive is a poison.
“The human body naturally is made up of chemicals, cells and organs. So, adding additives to the foods we eat means either doubling or shortening the workloads of the body mechanisms. And this can cause serious harmful side effects to human health,” she noted.
She pointed that it was the sole responsibility of NAFDAC to regulate, monitor and certify foods and their additives that would not be harmful to health.
source: PM NEWS
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