Nutritionist Cautions Against Use of Food Additives

 A Nutritionist, Mrs. Funmi Adams, has warned that adding additives to food and fruit to make it bigger or change its appearance and color could cause damage to the body cells.

Adams, the Head, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

She said that the additives mostly used by people were often without the approval and certification of the authorized regulatory body.

She said that additives were needed to ensure that processed food remained safe and in good condition throughout its journey from factories or industrial kitchens, during transportation to warehouses and shops and finally to consumers.

Adams also decried the rate at which people add additives to foods, saying that the act if left unchecked could lead to life-threatening health conditions.

According to her, the most trending ones are the usage of paracetamol in cooking meat to make it bigger and soft.

She said that it was regrettable that people also added additives to fufu, palm oil and fruits like plantain and banana.

Adams said that calcium carbide was another chemical often used by traders to quicken the ripening of vegetables and fruits like bananas and plantains.

The nutritionist said there were inherent dangers of artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables, saying that the chemicals used to ripen fruits artificially were toxic and could also affect people’s nervous system.

“According to studies, calcium carbide, which some people use to quicken ripening of fruits like banana and plantain, can affect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypoxia – a condition of having low oxygen levels in the tissues.

“In addition, industrial grade calcium carbide is often found contaminated with trace amounts of arsenic and phosphorus, which are toxic chemicals.

“However, health benefits of fruits depend on how they are ripened. The best course will be to allow them to ripen on the plant itself or harvest/buy them unripe and allow to naturally ripe without any additive,” she said.

Adams noted that the side effects of most of the additives far outweighed their benefits and as a result they should be avoided.

“According to World Health Organization (WHO), food additives are substances that are added to a food to maintain the safety, freshness, taste, texture or appearance of the food.

“An example of food additive is sugar that is used as a preservative in marmalade.

“Unfortunately, people have abused the usage of additives, having designed lots of additives/chemicals they add to food to get the desired size, taste, appearance, texture or color, ” Adams said.

According to her, every uncertified additives or chemical is poison.

“The human body naturally is made up of chemicals, cells and organs; so adding additives to the foods we eat means either doubling or shortening the workloads of the body mechanisms.

“And this can cause serious harmful side effects to human health,” she said.

Adams noted that it was the sole responsibility of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to regulate, monitor and certify foods and its additives that would not be harmful to health.

Adams urged NAFDAC to rise up to its responsibility and save the innocent citizens who ignorantly buy and consume these products.

The nutritionist suggested the establishment of another body that could be assisting NAFDAC particularly in the area of monitoring foods and ensuring compliance.

Also, a Public Health Expert, Dr. Olugbenga Akinola, told NAN that not all additives were harmful to human health and warned that moderation and precaution should be observed when using them.

He, however, said that some of the additives could cause digestive disorder like diarrhea, colicky pains (sharp, localized stomach and the intestines or urinary pains)

According to him, some of the additives can also cause nervous disorders like hyperactivity, a condition of being abnormally or extremely active; insomnia, inability to sleep; and irritation.

Akinola listed some of the additives to include antioxidants, artificial sweeteners, flavors, flavor enhancers, bulking agents.

According to him, other additives are color additive; emulsifiers; preservatives; mineral salts; propellants; raising agents; and thickeners. “Some of these substances or additives have been associated with adverse health effects and should be avoided, while others with minimal risk are safe and can be consumed, ” Akinola said.