The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against consuming fruits artificially ripened with harmful chemicals, especially calcium carbide.

The alert came on Monday during a one-day sensitisation programme on food quality standards held in Ado-Ekiti.

Executive Chairman of FCCPC, Mr. Olatunji Bello, represented by the Director of Quality Assurance, Mrs. Nkechi Mba, decried the increasing sale of adulterated and contaminated foods in markets, calling it a significant threat to public health.

Bello explained that calcium carbide contains toxic substances that can pose serious health risks to humans.

” Such alarming trends include principally, the forceful ripening of fruits, using harmful chemicals, such as calcium carbide, which contains trace amounts of arsenic and phosphorus, both of which are highly toxic to humans,” he said.

The FCCPC chief lamented that such practices not only put millions of Nigerians at risk but also erode consumer confidence and undermine the nation’s food system.

Bello assured that the commission would take strict action against violators, emphasizing that full enforcement of the law has already begun.

He added that the sensitisation programme serves as an initial step to warn unsuspecting consumers while sending a strong message to defiant offenders.

He revealed that the FCCPC has already acted in several cases through routine market inspections, resulting in the closure of facilities, the imposition of sanctions, and the prosecution of offenders.

” These practices not only endanger the lives of millions of Nigerians, but they also erode consumer trust, and sabotage the integrity of our food systems,” Bello added.

To boost enforcement, Bello said the FCCPC is collaborating closely with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Federal Ministries of Health and Agriculture. He added that consumers also have a role to play by carefully checking the quality of produce they buy from farms and markets.

The agency’s Director of Consumer and Business Education, Mr. Yahaya Kudan, emphasized that the sensitisation programme underscores FCCPC’s commitment to educating all stakeholders across the food supply chain. Kudan noted that the commission is focused on guiding farmers, vendors, consumers, and businesses on safe and fair practices in food production and distribution.

The programme drew a wide range of participants, including representatives from NAFDAC, SON, and the Federal and Ekiti State Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Trade, Commerce and Investment.

Also present were members of the Ekiti Consumer Protection Commission, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Yam Farmers Association, and Cassava Growers Association.