NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Unsafe Fruit Ripening
Last update: September 12, 2025
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Nigeria’s food and drug agency has cautioned fruit sellers in Gombe State against using the chemical calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday issued a public warning in the Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State. The agency's caution follows reports that some fruits in the area are being artificially ripened with a banned chemical, calcium carbide.
According to Pharmacist James Agada, NAFDAC's Gombe State Coordinator, while fruits are essential for health, consuming those ripened with this chemical can lead to "severe health complications." He emphasized that calcium carbide contains impurities like arsenic and lead particles that are known to cause a range of serious health problems.
NAFDAC mentioned the grave dangers, explaining that consumption of such fruits can lead to issues including cancer, kidney and liver failure, heart complications, skin damage, and ulcers. The chemical can also cause frequent thirst, weakness, and irritation in the mouth and nose.
The agency is also teaching the public how to identify these unsafe fruits. Agada explained that fruits ripened with calcium carbide may look ripe on the outside—for instance, a banana with a completely yellow peel—but remain unripe inside. Artificially ripened fruits also tend to have a uniform yellow color, may peel off quickly, and can have traces of a powdery substance on them.
Agada stressed that NAFDAC's current approach is a combination of education and future enforcement. While they are first appealing to the "conscience of fruit sellers to do the right thing," he warned that those who persist in violating the regulations will face sanctions. He urged traders and the public to report anyone using the chemical.
In a show of cooperation, the Chairman of the Fruit Sellers Association in Billiri LGA, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed, thanked NAFDAC for the sensitization. CBI News reports that he assured the agency that members would comply with the new guidelines and suggested that "safer alternatives like pear and garden egg extracts" could be used for ripening fruits.
