Sugar In Erisco’s Nagiko Tomato Mix Safe For Consumption — NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that the presence of sugar in Erisco’s Nagiko tomato mix is safe for consumption.

This was disclosed in a statement on the Agency’s X handle (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday.

This came after an online – Facebook review made on September 17, 2023 by a customer, Chioma Egoji on Erisco tomato paste, saying the tomato paste tasted sugary.

Egoji was later arrested at the request of Erisco Food on Sunday (September 24, 2023) over her negative review of the brand.

NAFDAC said the Erisco Foods Limited’s product, Nagiko Tomato Mix, bearing NAFDAC Registration Number A8-7430, under scrutiny, is registered but has however encountered a significant delay in being added to the official database of the Agency.

NAFDAC, the regulatory body overseeing food and drug safety in Nigeria, revealed that the delay is attributed to a substantial backlog in updating their Registered Products Database.

It stated that the organisation is actively working to address the issue and ensure that all registered products, including Nagiko Tomato Mix, are properly documented.

Responding to concerns about the product’s safety, NAFDAC emphasised that the formulation of tomato paste and ketchup products with added sugar is considered safe for consumption.

It said the practice of adding sugar serves multiple purposes, such as masking bitterness, enhancing colour and flavour, improving texture and taste consistency, and, crucially, acting as a preservative.

It said, “The safety limits of sugar in food products are determined by NAFDAC, and only sugar-containing products within these safety limits are approved by NAFDAC.”

“The product in question – Nagiko Tomato Mix by Erisco Foods Limited with NAFDAC Registration Number A8-7430 is registered.
The product is not yet on our database due to a significant backlog. We are actively updating the Registered Products Database and addressing the backlog.

“The formulation of tomato paste and ketchup products with sugar is safe for consumption.

“Sugar is added to these products for a number of reasons, including but not limited to masking bitterness, enhancing colour and flavour, improving texture and taste consistency, and as a preservative.

The safety limits of sugar in food products are determined by NAFDAC, and only sugar-containing products within these safety limits are approved by NAFDAC,” the statement read.