A visit to many markets in Northern Nigeria shows that there is a huge influx of unbranded products. Like it is with adulterated products, many unbranded monosodium glutamate [MSG) are rewrapped and displayed in transparent nylon bags for consumers to buy. The most worrisome is the fact that the consumption of this unbranded MSG has grown significantly among Northerners posing a serious health risk.
Despite increasing warnings from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), many consumers still patronise unbranded and rewrapped MSG. This is because the unbranded MSG are sold in the open, from uncovered unbranded sacks and in measurements to unsuspecting buyers who have chosen quantity over quality.
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Unlike leading brands like Ajinomoto and Vedan which are packed in sachets, sold in healthy sizes and approved by NAFDAC, these unbranded raw ones are the opposite. The alarming part is that their manufacturers cannot be traced to check for their authenticity. In the northern part of Nigeria, it seems it has come to stay because the demand is high.
Investigation revealed that at the Singer market and Abubakar Rimi markets in Kano, a 25kg bag sells for N45,000, allowing retailers to sell in small units, including measuring in what locals call ‘mudu’. At the central markets in Kaduna and Maiduguri, Sabon Gari market in Sokoto, the demand is very high and the price of a 25kg bag ranges between N46,000-N50,000. In a 25kg bag, there are as many as 10 to 15 ‘mudu’.
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The customers, not minding the health risks, prefer this unapproved product because of the number of mudus and the flexibility to adulterate the product by mixing it with salt to increase its bulk and make more profit. The food culture of the North too, being one that allows for very sweet drinks and sweet foods presents a good market for such seasonings.
Just recently, NAFDAC sealed a warehouse in Sokoto State, after discovering a large quantity of unregistered food products including 5,347 bags of MSG. The warehouse located on Coca-Cola Road, off Western Bypass in Sokoto was found to be in violation of NAFDAC’s regulations.
According to NAFDAC, the company imported unbranded MSG under a permit intended for processing but was found selling the product directly as a finished product, which is prohibited and dangerous to human health.
A health expert who lives in Gombe, Abdullahi Guruji, said consumers should be wary of what they consume to avoid any health complication. Mr Guruji said it was incumbent on the consumers not to sacrifice their health on the altar of cheap pricing of food products. He said the regulator had made it abundantly clear for consumers to look out for branded MSG before embarking on a purchase wondering why they chose to ignore at the expense of their lives.
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