The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has assured Nigerians that genetically modified organisms (GMOs), particularly in food, are not harmful to human health when proper safety measures are followed.
The DG stated this during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, dismissing lingering fears around the safety of GMOs.
She explained that the safety of GMOS largely depends on the type of food and the protocols used to develop and approve it.
“GMOs are not bad for us. They are not. It depends on the type of foods and whether safety considerations have been taken,” she said.
Prof. Adeyeye emphasised that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) is the lead agency responsible for assessing and ensuring the safety of GMO foods in the country. She added that NAFDAC collaborates closely with the agency to ensure all approved GMO products meet national safety standards.
“We have a Memorandum of Understanding with NBMA. They are mandated to ensure that GMO foods are safe and of good quality,” she explained.
The NAFDAC boss stressed the importance of transparency in food labelling, noting that consumers should be able to make informed choices about what they eat.
“I want to know that what I eat will have a good health outcome. I look at the label, and I want to be sure the NAFDAC label is on it,” she said, adding that genetically modified food products must carry clear labels indicating their GMO content.
Prof. Adeyeye further reiterated that NAFDAC’s mandate is to ensure that all food products available in the Nigerian market are safe, high-quality, and properly vetted before approval.
“Our goal is to ensure the foods we approve for the market are safe, high-quality, and efficacious. That is why our collaboration with NBMA is excellent.
Without their certification, we cannot approve any GMO product,” she stated.
