The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has formally debunked a viral audio clip circulating on social media that falsely claims the agency shut down the Tummy Tummy noodles factory in Anambra State.
In an official statement released Wednesday, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye denounced the recording as “misleading and entirely untrue,” clarifying that the claims were nothing more than recycled disinformation.
“This same audio first surfaced in October 2023 and was thoroughly investigated at the time. The claims made in the recording are entirely false. The Tummy Tummy noodles facility was never sealed,” Prof. Adeyeye stated.
She confirmed that NAFDAC had conducted an unannounced inspection of the Anambra-based manufacturing site.
As part of routine regulatory oversight, samples from four variants of the company’s noodles were collected and tested at the agency’s Agulu laboratory.
“The results came back satisfactory, and no breaches of regulatory standards were found,” Adeyeye confirmed.
The false audio didn’t stop at noodles — it also claimed that other common household food products such as tinned tomatoes and seasoning cubes like Maggi had been banned by the agency, and that they contained dangerous preservatives.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC Destroys 491,000 Tramadol Tablets Worth N91m in Kano
“These claims are baseless. The individual who made them falsely suggested a working relationship with NAFDAC and cited the presence of ‘acetyl methyl’ as a preservative — a scientifically unfounded statement,” she added.
Adeyeye also referenced a prior comprehensive investigation NAFDAC conducted in 2023 in response to global safety concerns surrounding the presence of ethylene oxide in instant noodles.
“Our findings clearly showed that neither ethylene oxide nor its derivatives were present in any instant noodles or seasonings produced in Nigeria,” she stated, adding that all tested products met international safety standards for contaminants like mycotoxins and heavy metals.
NAFDAC urged Nigerians to disregard the audio, warning against the spread of unverified and fear-mongering information that can cause unnecessary public alarm.
“The agency remains firmly committed to protecting the health of Nigerians by ensuring that only safe, high-quality, and compliant food and drug products are available in the market,” the statement concluded.