The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has said Golden Penny Semovita and all other semolina products registered by the agency are safe for human consumption.
A statement signed by the Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, explained that the attention of NAFDAC was drawn to a social media video showing a woman washing Golden Penny Semovita in a sieve using cold water, saying the woman claimed that the residue she got after sieving was plastic.
She revealed that a similar video was shown in 2020 and that led to a Press Release similar to the one now issued.
It read, “Upon receiving the alerts from various quarters in the community in 2020, the Director General immediately gave a directive to conduct emergency post-marketing analysis using different brands of Semolina. The Agency investigated this claim by conducting appropriate analytical testing in her internationally accredited laboratories. The results showed that there was no plastic or any similar harmful contaminants in Golden Penny Semovita. It contained the expected components plus the required Vitamin A. NAFDAC, therefore, wishes to inform the general public that the claim in the social media video assertions is misleading.”
It stated that Semolina contained mainly water, carbohydrates, and about 13 per cent of gluten-forming proteins.
“Semolina has no plastic content in it; it only exhibits viscous and elastic properties. The rubbery-like material that was observed in the video after washings with water is the gluten that formed after the gluten-forming proteins get mixed with water.
“Golden Penny Semovita is manufactured by Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc., a registered company that has been granted marketing authorisation by NAFDAC to manufacture the product and offer it for sale in Nigeria. The company’s operations were certified by NAFDAC after meeting the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice and the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards.
“There is no cause for apprehension by consumers as such approved products are manufactured in line with Good Manufacturing Practice and in compliance with the Nigerian Industrial Standards, which is continuously monitored by NAFDAC,” it read.
