The Health Dangers of Imported Frozen Chickens in Nigeria

The Health Dangers of Imported Frozen Chickens in Nigeria

 

The National President, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Dr. Ayoola Oduntan at a workshop on “the Economic and Health Implications of Smuggled Poultry Product,” said imported frozen chicken are very dangerous for human consumption. According to him, while locally-farmed poultry meat is sold without any preservatives, the smuggled poultry meat is preserved with hazardous chemicals. “Formalin load in all smuggled poultry products ranges from 42.9 to 63.3ml/kg, according to a survey. Improperly imported poultry products pose grave dangers to consumers, handlers and environment. The break in cold chains during smuggling encourages a build-up of high microbial load, rendering such consignments unhealthy and unfit for human consumption.” He said locally produced chickens are safe for consumption, as they are locally-farmed and sold without any  preservatives unlike the smuggled poultry meat which is preserved with hazardous chemicals that portend serious danger to the consumers as some of the chemicals are known to be carcinogenic.
 Only recently, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warned Nigerians involved in the smuggling of frozen chicken to desist from doing so as it could bring back the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. The warning was issued by the Federal Department of Animal Production and Husbandry Services. The department noted that smuggled poultry products had continued to find their way into local markets through several land borders despite a ban on them.  It quoted the USAID Agricultural Information Network as reporting that 90 per cent of frozen chicken come in through Benin Republic and other West African countries.