At long last, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has spoken about the “Bread Controversy” that has been on the cyberspace front burner since April.
According to the Agency bread manufacturers are permitted to use preservatives and adopt methods capable of extending shelf life, provided such practices comply with internationally approved safety standards.
NAFDAC DG said that laboratory findings from “the product in question” even though the online reviewer did not mention brand name of that bread, confirmed that Calcium Propionate was used as a preservative and that the quantity detected complied with approved standards within the limits specified in Codex Alimentarius (Food Code).
For me, that is not the issue, and I see the statement from NAFDAC as a PR for the poorly regulated bread baking industry in Nigeria.
NAFDAC probably want to give Nigerians assurance that they should not mind online reviewers, that they should enjoy Nigerian breads.
You already know my position about bread as food, that is, commercially baked breads in Nigeria. If it is bread from Europe, I wouldn’t have any problem, and this has nothing to do with patriotism. If it is bread from America, my position would be the same as Nigerian bread; don’t eat.
What is Calcium Propionate (known as E282 in the EU)?
It is an approved and authorized food additive used as a preservative and antifungal agent in specific food categories. Derived from propionic acid, Calcium propionate (282) is most commonly known as the “bread preservative”. Though different jurisdictions have authorized usage limits, enforcement is another challenge.
But in Nigeria, the major culprit with Breads sold in the market is not Calcium Propionate; it is potassium bromated and Azodicarbonamide (ADA).
While Potassium bromated is banned in Nigeria but with little or no enforcement because evidence shows that bakers in many cities across Nigeria still use it, Azordicarbonamide (ADA), a substance linked to cancer, is allowed in Nigeria by NAFDAC.
That is the question NAFDAC subtly ran away from addressing. Their utter failure in both regulation and enforcement.
The Agency approves the use of Azordicarbonate as a dough conditioner and maturing agent in commercial bread and flour production, largely serving as a legal and accepted substitute for potassium bromate, which though banned on paper, but hardly enforced.
Azodicarbonamide (ADA) is a chemical primarily used as a dough conditioner in baking and a foaming agent in plastics (can you imagine that?).
Its health challenges predominantly revolve around respiratory irritation and the toxicity of its byproducts, prompting strict regulatory limits and outright bans in several countries.
The most well-documented health risks of ADA affect workers who handle it in manufacturing or industrial bakeries. It acts as a pulmonary sensitizer.
Chronic exposure or inhalation of its dust can lead to occupational asthma, chronic bronchitis, wheezing, and chest tightness.
When it is baked or heated at high temperatures, it decomposes into new chemical compounds, primarily semicarbazide (SEM) and urethane.
Some animal studies linked high doses of SEM to tumor formation, specifically in the lungs and blood vessels, leading to regulatory bodies to evaluate its long-term toxicity.
Urethane on the other hand is a recognized carcinogen. Baking, and particularly toasting, bread that contains ADA increases the formation of urethane.
The EU prohibits the use of azodicarbonamide both as a food additive and in food-contact materials due to safety concerns regarding its decomposition byproducts.
In the United States, the FDA permits ADA as a dough conditioner, but it is regulated with strict maximum permissible limits, a major reason why American breads are banned in Europe.
Potassium bromate was banned by NAFDAC in 2003, but there is enough evidence to show that the majority of bakers still use it.
Utilized as an oxidizing agent in the fermentation and proofing phases of baking, Potassium bromate is vital in shaping the composition and characteristics of dough.
Ordinarily, potassium bromate is meant to break down into harmless potassium bromide during the baking process, variables such as insufficient baking time, low oven temperatures, or the overuse of the additive leave toxic residuals in the finished product.
Unfortunately it comes with severe health risks, most notably causing cancer, kidney damage, and hearing loss. Due to its severe toxicity, it is classified as a possible human carcinogen and is banned in many regions.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes potassium bromate as a Group 2B carcinogen meaning that it is carcinogenic to humans, and animal studies have linked it to the development of renal (kidney) tumors, thyroid tumors, and peritoneal mesotheliomas.
Potassium bromate free radicals are highly toxic to the kidneys. Acute or prolonged exposure can cause renal tubular necrosis, impairing the body’s ability to filter waste and potentially leading to acute or chronic kidney failure. Yet we ask where the rising cases of kidney failures are coming from.
Ingestion has been strongly linked to damage of the auditory nerves, which can result in irreversible hearing loss or deafness.
And inhaling the powder during the baking process or ingesting high amounts causes acute symptoms like coughing, sore throat, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If you have the opportunity to speak with some of the young people who work in many of these commercial bakeries you would cry for Nigeria.
Experimental models show that potassium bromate can impair liver function (hepatotoxicity) and damage central nervous tissue, altering typical neurobehavioral patterns and when used in high doses, potassium bromate degrades essential nutrients in bread, including vitamins (such as A, B1, B2, and niacin) and essential fatty acids making the bread a simple chaff to fill the stomach.
Another preservative that is not banned in Nigeria is Propylparaben, used in pastries, cosmetics and some tortillas; it is only regulated, where the capacity for regulation is clearly nonexistent. It is primarily used to extend shelf life by preventing mold and bacteria growth.
Propylparaben causes developmental and reproductive harm. It is a well known endocrine disruptor responsible for hormone interference, infertility and other reproductive health, and potential links to breast cancer. For a society that has one of the highest incidence of fibrosis, we should care about such.
Unfortunately, these food additives come with a heavy cost: human lives.
The major challenges facing bakers in Nigeria are myriads, and reports from independent research into the activities of bakers across many cities in Nigeria are enough to keep people away from bread inspite of the fact that it is a readily available food source, and comparatively affordable and easily accessible; it ticks the boxes on foods that cause the most health problems.
Most bakers are faced with either playing by the rules or shutting down, and cut corners to remain afloat. But in a more organized society, there should be a middle way. It is both an economic and moral burden.
The high level of heavy metals in bread production in Nigeria is scary. NAFDAC may never tell you so, and many Nigerians would treat the information as running down another man’s business.
About two years ago, my friend Clifford Ndujihe of the Vanguard Newspaper did an in-depth report on the bakery industry in Nigeria and findings from researchers from different universities in the country after carrying out various tests on different samples of bread brands in the markets across the country.
The findings show higher levels of potassium bromate and impermissible levels of other trace metals as many bread brands contain heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, and lead which are associated with various adverse effects, including neurological damage, suppression of the immune system, cancer, and behavioural and developmental problems.
For instance, the continued exposure to elevated levels of cadmium can lead to lung cancer, pulmonary adenocarcinomas, prostatic lesions, bone complications, kidney dysfunction, and hypertension.
Also, lead, which is non-essential for humans, can adversely affect the nervous, skeletal, circulatory, enzymatic, endocrine, and immune system.
Toxicity of potassium bromate poisoning includes pain in the abdomen and vomiting. It also induces cancer and kidney damage.
They will say I hate NAFDAC, but I supported them during their battle with satchet alcohol drinks manufacturers.
©️Kelechi Decca
