NAFDAC clears BON Bread over viral preservative allegations

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cleared Food & Food Integrated Company Limited, makers of BON Bread, of allegations that its bread contains harmful substances.

The agency said its investigation followed a viral social media video in which a blogger, Love Dooshima, claimed that a loaf of bread remained fresh for nearly two months without growing mould.

Although no brand was mentioned in the video posted on April 13, the company identified the bread as its product and denied the allegation, leading to widespread reactions online.

The controversy later resulted in a N50 million lawsuit against the blogger, while the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission also launched a probe into the matter.

In a statement on Sunday, NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency carried out an inspection of the company’s Abuja bakery and collected bread samples from the factory and open market for laboratory analysis.

According to her, findings showed that calcium propionate was used as a preservative within approved global safety limits specified in the Codex Alimentarius Food Code.

“Laboratory findings revealed that calcium propionate was used as preservative, and that the amount of the preservative used was within the limits specified in Codex Alimentarius,” Adeyeye said.

She added that the analysed bread samples did not contain objectionable substances such as bromate and non-nutritive sweeteners, while advising Nigerians to report complaints about regulated products directly to NAFDAC before taking them to social media.