By Ogechi Anita Agu
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Nigerian Senate has received a shocking report exposing widespread use of dangerous chemicals by fruit sellers and food handlers across the country, warning that the practices pose grave risks to public health.
The report was presented on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo, representing Rivers West, on behalf of the Joint Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) and Agricultural Production, Services and Rural Development. The committee had been mandated to investigate the “unwholesome practice” of chemical ripening of fruits in Nigeria.
- According to the report, several harmful and fraudulent food practices were uncovered, including the artificial ripening of fruits with raw calcium carbide, cooking of meat with paracetamol, preservation of grains with sniper (dichlorvos), and washing of fruits and vegetables with detergents to improve appearance. Other disturbing findings include soaking cassava in detergent or bleach, adding banned Sudan IV dyes to palm oil and pepper, and using burning tyres to remove animal fur.
The committee warned that these practices have been linked to severe health risks such as cancer, kidney and liver failure, and foodborne diseases like cholera and Lassa fever. It also noted that Morpholine, a chemical used as a fruit and vegetable wax, is already banned by the European Union due to its toxicity.
To curb the menace, the committee recommended that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFOST) intensify nationwide sensitisation campaigns on the dangers of chemical ripening.
It also called for amendments to existing food safety laws to impose stiffer penalties on offenders and urged regulatory agencies to enforce strict compliance through legal and regulatory measures.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the committee for its swift investigation and assured Nigerians that the Senate would act urgently to protect public health.
“The wellbeing of Nigerians is of utmost priority,” Akpabio declared, vowing that the Senate would expedite legislation to punish offenders and ensure food safety across the country.
