Posted on: Wed 12-07-2023

The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, has said consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause cancer, heart failure, kidney failure and liver failure.

Adeyeye further noted that fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause frequent thirst, irritation in  the mouth and nose, as well as weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcer.

The NAFDAC DG made this known on Tuesday at the official flag-off of the agency’s media sensitisation workshop on dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.

She said the trend of ripening fruits with carbide had become a public challenge and NAFDAC had deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.

“Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases, among other benefits.

“Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious and attractive.

“However, the consumption of fruits, such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.

“Fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide may be ripe on the skin, the inside remains unripe. You can identify such artificially-ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true especially with banana and plantain.

“Conversely, naturally-ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly,” Adeyeye said.

She added that the agency has commissioned a scientific study on the best approach towards mitigating the health hazards posed by ripening of fruits with carbide.

The NAFDAC DG also warned against patronising drug hawkers, saying most of their drugs are counterfeit, substandard and expired.

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