The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has ordered manufacturers of vegetable oil and salt whose products failed to meet required fortification levels to comply with national food standards.
The directive followed a two-month assessment carried out by the commission in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, which uncovered inadequate fortification in some food products sampled from markets and households across Nigeria.
Food fortification involves adding essential vitamins and minerals, such as iron, folic acid, vitamin A, zinc and iodine, to commonly consumed foods during industrial processing.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the FCCPC said 200 samples, comprising 100 vegetable oil samples and 100 salt samples, were analysed during the exercise.
The findings showed that 12 per cent of the vegetable oil samples and two per cent of the salt samples did not meet the required fortification standards.
The FCCPC said it had also referred the findings to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control for further action, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the two agencies.
It urged consumers to pay attention to fortified food products and ensure they are properly handled and stored.
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(Editor: Ada Ononye)
