By: MRS. A. O. ADEKOYA

ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED.

INTRODUCTION:

Globally, very serious objectives are being raised concerning the continued use of ‘unsafe’ and non-nature derived substances as food additives. Accordingly, these unsafe additives have been de-listed from the permitted list of food additives in many countries including Nigeria.

Within the flour milling and baking industry worldwide, the most significant ingredient development is the discontinuance of potassium bromate as a dough oxidant of choice and its replacement by many different types of additives, either singly or in combinations. The slow-acting oxidant was first introduced as bread improver in 1916.

In Nigeria, the banning and compliance monitoring of potassium bromate as a flour/bread improver by NAFDAC, formally Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commenced pleasantly in late 1995.

In 1993, the then FDA had banned the use of potassium bromate in an “arm-chair” style and only succeeded in the creation of limited awareness. This was so because potassium bromate was a universally acclaimed choice dough oxidant that had been in use in Nigeria for over 45 years.

Besides, there were controversies that some parts of the developed world were still using potassium bromate as bread improver at the time. For instance one school of thought maintained the fact that in the USA, their FDA did not the use of potassium bromate as a dough oxidant, but requested industry to voluntarily phase out its usage whenever possible.

However, the opposing school of thought cited California’s proposition 65, which include potassium bromate on its lists of cancer pre-disposers, requiring warning labels on foods sold in California containing these ingredients.

On the whole, the thrust during the debate for and against the use of potassium bromate was that of the health hazard it poses over prolonged period of usage.

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS:

Researchers have shown from their studies that potassium bromate decomposes vitamins A, B1, B2, and E the naturally occurring vitamins in bread. Also from results obtained from vivo and in vitro mutagenicity studies conclusion is drawn that potassium bromate is a potential cancer initiator. In humans acute intoxication of this substances leads to renal failure and hearing loss.

In 1980, the International Agency for Research on cancer reported that there was sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of potassium bromate in experimental animals and in 1987; the compound was classified as a possible human carcinogen. Based on several published toxicological studies and report that residual levels of bromate remained detectable in bread made from flour treated with 75 ppm, the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reduced its previous recommended acceptable level of treatment for flour from 0-75 ppm to 0-60 ppm. This permissible level was further reduced by Codex Alimentarius to 50 ppm. In 1992, JECFA recommended that bromate be excluded from the flour standard and in July 1993, the Codex Committee on food additives and contaminants approved for the recommendation. This accounts for the reason NAFDAC, as the regulatory agency vested with the powers to safeguard public health is very much alive to her crucial role by enforcing the ban on the use of potassium bromate in the Nigerian bakery industry.

In her bid to actualize this, the Agency has carried out many enlightenment campaigns, through workshops/consultative meetings, medial publication and announcements mounted on health hazards associated with potassium bromates. The constraints experienced by the Agency are that despite these campaigns, bakers still continue to use this life threatening lethal chemical. For instance between July and August 2003, NAFDAC visited ten bakeries in Lagos area on routine inspection and still discovered that some bakeries still use potassium bromate as oxidants. As a matter of fact, two of the bakeries visited were caught using potassium bromate. An employee of one of these bakeries snatched the potassium bromate from our inspectors. This bakery was fined N40,000 and N20,000 for snatching the bromate and the use of bromate respectively. The bakery has since paid the sum of N60,000 fine meted out to it. The second bakery was fined N20,000 for the use of bromate and N10,000 for poor hygienic practice. Apart from these caught using potassium bromate, all the ten bakeries visited were not into good hygienic practices.

The Agency uses this medium to warn bakers to desist from the use of potassium bromate in bread, as offenders will henceforth be prosecuted by the Agency for contravening the regulation on non-nutritive additives. In addition, the recalcitrant bakery will also be completely closed down.

APPEAL:

The Agency still craves the indulgence of all Nigerians, especially bakery workers, to report the use of potassium bromate as bread enhancers to the nearest NAFDAC office. Your confidentiality will be protected.

In addition, I also want to use this forum to appeal to bakers to always apply basic hygienic practices, as opposed to the practice of:

1. Packing baked bread in pans on bare floor.

2. Stacking raw materials on bare floor instead of pallets.

3. Non-daily cleansing of bakery equipments, some if which are wooden in nature and can attract the growth of molds.

4. Inadequate clothing for staff. In some instances, inspectors have been to bakeries where bakers work without their shirts/apparels on, and so sweat onto the products. This is not hygienic at all.

We should realize that life cannot be quantified with money. It has no duplicate. Then why don’t we practice healthy living? The prospect in doing it right is that Nigerian will be healthy, and health they say is wealth.

Other registered bread improvers that are bromate free have been registered for use by the Agency, such as Edlen Bread Improver, vitamin C and so on.

I would therefore want our bakers to look into the use of registered alternatives such as Edlen Bread Improver and join hands with NAFDAC to safeguard the health of the nation. This appeal is to make bakers do it right as NAFDAC is poised for action now and violative bakeries will be sanctioned henceforth.

Thank you for listening.