The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has stated that genetically modified organisms known as GMOs, particularly in food, are not harmful to human health, provided that safety protocols are followed.
Speaking on the safety of GMOs in an interview on Channels on Thursday, Adeyeye explained, “GMOs are genetically modified foods when it comes to food, and they are not bad for us. They’re not. They are not bad for us, depending on what type of foods they are and whether these safety considerations have been taken.”
She, however, emphasised that the type of food and the safety considerations taken are critical factors in determining their safety.
Adeyeye noted that the National Biosafety Management Agency is the primary body responsible for ensuring the safety of GMO foods in Nigeria, and that NAFDAC works closely with them.
“We have an MoU with them. They are mandated to ensure that the foods that have GMO are of quality, they are safe,” she said.
An advocate for transparency in food choices, Adeyeye described herself as a “food freak,” saying, “I want to know that what I’m eating is going to give me a good health outcome. I look at the label. I want to be sure that the NAFDAC label is on it.”
She added that even before her time at NAFDAC, she made it a practice to check food labels for GMO information.
“It’s supposed to have genetically modified food written on it,” she explained.
While consumers have a choice between organic and non-organic foods, Adeyeye stressed that NAFDAC’s mandate remains to ensure food products in the Nigerian market are safe, of good quality, and properly vetted.
“But for NAFDAC, our goal… we are mandated to ensure that the foods that we approve for the market are safe, they are of quality, of course, and they are efficacious.
“So that is the reason why the collaboration between us and NBMA is very, very solid. Without them certifying that they have done their due diligence in their laboratory or for death review or whatever, we cannot approve. So it is a joint collaboration between us and Biosafety,” she stated.
