A list of food products and ingredients banned in several places around the world was released recently. Surprisingly, many items on the list are still available in Nigeria.
It is not unexpected that a host of the banned ingredients are disguised and passed off as “safe” and “healthy”. Here are tips for avoiding the offending ingredients.
Artificial food colourings – Today, many companies are removing artificial colours from their products, so a little research should help you find safe alternatives. Many common snack foods contain Yellow #5 in their ingredient list, but it’s not the only artificial food colour that is banned in other countries. Blue #1, Blue #2 and Red #40 may also cause health problems.
Brominated vegetable oil Banned in over 100 countries world-wide because it contains toxic bromine, brominated vegetable oil is used in many brands of beverage drinks to prevent the flavouring from separating and floating to the surface.
Bromated flour
In Nigera, many kinds of bread (notably the agege variety) are still made from bromate flour, which is banned in Europe, Canada and China, and linked to kidney damage, cancer and nervous system damage.
BHT and BHA
Japan, the United Kingdom and other European countries have banned these preservatives because they have been shown to cause cancer in rats. To avoid BHT and BHA, best option is purchasing food that is fresh and natural.
Arsenic
Though a known poison, arsenic was used in some chicken feed to make the meat appear fresher. Chickens raised for meat are no longer given feed additives containing arsenic, but that didn’t stop the European Union from putting a ban on it. If you eat poultry, particularly the frozen variety, make sure you know where it is coming from and how it is raised.
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