The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismissed a viral audio circulating on social media alleging that it shut down the Tummy Tummy noodles factory in Anambra State.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, described the audio as misleading and a recycled falsehood. She urged the public to disregard the claim, stressing that no such enforcement action had been taken against the company.
According to her, the same audio first appeared in Oct. 2023 and was thoroughly investigated at the time.
“The claims made in the recording are entirely false.
“The Tummy Tummy noodles facility in Anambra State was not sealed,” she stated.
Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC had conducted an unscheduled inspection of the facility, during which samples of four different noodle variants were collected and analysed at the agency’s Agulu laboratory.
“The results were satisfactory, and no regulatory violations were found,” she added.
She further noted that the audio falsely alleged that NAFDAC banned other food products such as tinned tomatoes and seasoning cubes like Maggi.
“This is completely untrue.
“The individual who made these claims also falsely stated they were working in collaboration with NAFDAC and mentioned the presence of ‘acetyl methyl’ as a preservative, an assertion that is both unfounded and misleading,” she said.
Addressing public concerns about product safety, Adeyeye recalled that NAFDAC had already conducted a comprehensive investigation in 2023 following global alerts about the presence of ethylene oxide in instant noodles.
She said the findings confirmed that neither ethylene oxide nor its derivatives were present in any instant noodles or seasonings produced in Nigeria.
She also assured the public that tests for contaminants such as mycotoxins and heavy metals revealed levels well within internationally accepted safety standards, reaffirming the safety of Nigerian-made noodles.
“NAFDAC urged the public to disregard the audio and refrain from sharing unverified information.
