A law to criminalize chemically ripened fruits on the way, says a senator

    

Senator Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South, has promised to push for an Act that would impose a stiffer penalty on those who use poisonous chemicals to ripen fruits for public consumption.

This lawmaker's decision followed several warnings from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control ( NAFDAC) about using poisonous substances to enhance food or fruit ripening.

The senator posited that the Act would be used to punish perpetrators, saying such criminal practices posed a serious challenge to public health and food safety across the nation.

Ani said that part of the measures to ensure food safety in the country is to put in place deterrent laws to prevent such an action.

Sen. Ani, speaking on a radio program of Nigeria Info early last week, expressed deep concern over the continued use of substances such as calcium carbide in ripening fruits as unacceptable, saying it was against proactive public health practices to food security.

He stressed that these chemicals commonly used to ripen fruits usually contained toxic such as arsenic and phosphorus that can cause organ failure, cancer, and other chronic diseases.

He said that "It is not just about fruit anymore. This is about life, safety, and the future health of our nation. We cannot allow harmful chemicals to infiltrate our food system unchecked”

Experts and public health advocates have also voiced strong support for Senator Ani’s legislative push, pointing to the broader implications of chemically induced fruits as being dangerous to human health coupled a loss of trust in the farmers' agricultural produce.

The bill is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly in the coming weeks, where it is anticipated to spark robust debate among lawmakers, health experts, and agricultural stakeholders, Sen. Ani said.

“We need a framework that not only punishes offenders, but that also educates the public and provides safer alternatives for fruit preservation" he added.