Expert Cautions On Packaging Of Products

Food manufacturers have been cautioned against the use of plastic containers to package products.
A renowned agriculturist in Rivers State and Managing Director of Ngobet Agro-Allied and Investment Limited, Port Harcourt, Dr. Dagogo Atokimagha, said food and drinks stored in plastics collect chemicals such as Bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to some health problems.
Speaking with The Tide, last Thursday in Port Harcourt, in an interview on the storage of food and its health implication, Atokimagha said BRA, widely used in plastics and as a lining for cans to preserve things such as soup, fruit to sardins has been linked to heart disease and cancers.
According to him, “for industrial purposes, BPA is used to make plastic containers strong and lightweight for use as water bottles and many other uses, helps extend the shelf life.
“It is also a major ingredient in epoxy resins, which among other uses, help extend the Shell life of canned foods.”
Atokimagha, a businessman cum scholar, said there were ongoing local studies which suggest that people are exposed to BPA through consumption of food in plastic containers and cans. Canned foods had the highest levels of the chemicals.
He said BPA, used in a variety of consumer items such as microwave oven dishes, often seeps from containers and enters the bodies of humans.
The expert said some grocery manufactures were using BPA in food and beverage packaging because it is cheap.
He called on the government to discourage food and plastics manufactures, particularly, Indian companies to shift from using BPA in food packaging to other materials.
A lot of Nigerians, Atokimagha observed, were non susceptible to health problems because of patronage of food in cans and plastics.
He called on government at all levels and its agencies to conduct regular screening of food for toxic chemicals, adding that if this is done, they would be able to detect patterns which would help food manufacturers decrease the number and levels of toxic chemicals in the food products they offer Nigerians.
Atokimagha further stressed that though BPA had harmful effects, it is safe for use in some products, noting that companies have to prove the safety of chemicals before using them to package food products.
Although BPA prevents parasites from entering a food container, Atokimagha noted that it had the tendency of interacting with food components, adding that at certain temperature, the consequence is harmful to consumers.
He explained further that there were some discoveries suggesting that there are health effects at lower levels than those thought to be acceptable.
The agric expert, however, urged companies in food manufacturing service sector to seek the approval of the regulatory agencies before using any chemicals in the production process.
This, he noted, was necessary to check possible introduction of harmful toxic substances into the packaging process.
Atokimagha maintained that, “according to the American Food and Drugs Administration (FDD), 20 per cent of the American diet comes out of cans, and many of those have an epoxy liner made with Bisphenol A, a chemical which can mimic human estrogen and which is linked to breast cancer and early puberty in women.
He added that exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol A) can be reduced significantly by eating fewer foods packaged in metal cans or plastics, according to a new report from the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF) and the silent Spring Institute (SSI), United States of America (USA).
He stated that studies have shown that people who eat more meals prepared outside the home have higher levels of BPA, adding that to reduce exposure, experts advise on cooking more meals at home with fresh condiments.

Bethel Toby