By Nicholas Ojo
Over N2 million worth of expired and unregistered tomato paste has been seized by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kaduna.
It was learnt that the agency that raided the Sheik Gumi market in Kaduna State on Thursday said 75 cartons of expired and unregistered tomato paste of various brands were seized from 16 shops in the market.
The Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, Kaduna Office, Tamanuwa Andrew, who confirmed the development in a statement, said the raid was in line with the ban on the importation of tomato paste by the Federal Government in 2019.
He explained that since the ban on the importation of tin tomato paste, the agency has been carrying out raids on unregistered and banned tomato paste across markets in the country.
The statement reads; “In September 2022 in Lagos, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement held a press briefing on the raid carried out in the state alone, where open and supermarkets and shops were raided and over 3,000 cartons of unregistered tin tomatoes were confiscated.
“NAFDAC would continue to discharge its duty and not shy away from its responsibilities of ensuring a healthy nation.
“Surveillance has shown that open and supermarkets, and provision stores were still importing banned tomato paste through illegal ways which is a setback to the economy and local manufacturers,” he added.