By Dipo Olowookere
The chief executive of Erisco Foods Limited, Mr Eric Umeofia, has threatened to take legal action against one of the company’s customers, Mrs Chioma Egodi, who reviewed one of its products on Facebook.
Mrs Egodi had in a social media post on September 17, 2023, claimed she bought Nagiko Tomato Mix, a product of Erisco Foods, a day earlier, and that it tasted too much sugar.
“When I opened it (Nagiko Tomato Mix), I decided to taste it, Omo! Sugar is just too much!” she wrote in the now-deleted post.
The woman said she went to the market with the intention of purchasing her regular brands, Gino or Sonia, but they were not readily available, the reason she opted for an alternative.
Her post generated reactions and forced the management of the company to involve the police through a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun.
She was arrested, triggering the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to call for her release. Some Nigerians also expressed their anger over the issue, calling on consumers to boycott the product.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV’s Global Business Report on Thursday morning, Mr Umeofia said the firm decided to involve the police in the matter because it suspected that some people paid Mrs Egodi to attack the brand.
“She is not a customer,” he said on the show monitored by Business Post, noting that Erisco boasts the best product and of high quality in the tomato paste business in Nigeria.
Though he confirmed that the product reviewer has written an apology letter, he disclosed that she has refused to post this on her Facebook page “as agreed.”
“I will sue her for N5 billion if she does not comply with what we said,” the founder of Erisco Foods declared, noting that Mrs Egodi could not provide proof to back up her claims when asked to do so.
According to him, the woman could not state the batch number or other information about the Nagiko Tomato Mix she alleged tasted too much sugar.
He admitted that the product may have a sugar taste because the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) authorised the company to add it to the Nagiko Tomato Mix.
“Sugar is allowed [in the product]. It’s just like taking soft drinks and complaining about sugar. If you don’t like it, buy another. People should go to her comment section to see how she liked posts that condemned Erisco and abused those who castigated her for her bad review,” he said further.
He maintained that his competitors, especially those importing tomato paste into the country, are behind the review made by Mrs Egodi, who according to her Facebook profile, is an “importer and exporter guru” and was at a church seminar for Export Drive and Skill Acquisition Day in Lagos, where she was a speaker.
