By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the danger of consuming Canadian Alasko brand IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) Whole Kernel corn due to possible salmonella contamination.
The alert, with No. 007/2022, which was signed by the NAFDAC Director-General, Mrs Moji Adeyeye, in Abuja on Monday, stated that a salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis.
Mrs Adeyeye said that the agency was informed about the recall by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
According to her, consumption of the product may bring about symptoms of this bacteria which are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, mild fever, weakness and headache.
She said that the symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last up to four days to seven days.
She added that “the possible risk is that food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoilt, but can still make you sick.
“Young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections as a result of this bacteria.”
The NAFDAC boss stated that healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea and that long-term complications may include severe arthritis.
She urged importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare providers and consumers to exercise caution in the importation, distribution, sale and use of the recalled lots of the Alasko brand IQF Whole Kernel corn.
She also urged the public in possession of the recalled product to discontinue sale or use and hand it over to the nearest NAFDAC office.
Mrs Adeyeye encouraged healthcare professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events related to the use of the product to the nearest NAFDAC office, or NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLLS FREE from all networks).
The public can also report any adverse events via [email protected] or via the NAFDAC ADR e-Reporting platform available at www.nafdac.gov.ng.
