Bida council shuts ice cream factories over flies, missing NAFDAC papers
- Bida Local Government in Niger State has closed ice cream production facilities after an inspection found hygiene problems.
- Officials said flies were found in the ice cream mixture and products carried no labels or NAFDAC registration.
- The council said laboratory tests found the ingredients had no nutritional value and could harm health.
The Bida Local Government Council in Niger State has stopped ice cream production at some facilities in the town, saying the operators were unlicensed and their products were not safe to eat.
The council's environmental teams carried out the inspection, and the findings were announced in a statement by the council's Chief Press Secretary, Aliyu B. Umar, posted on Facebook on Thursday.
According to the statement, inspectors found flies inside the mixture used to make the ice cream. The finished products also had no labels, so buyers could not tell what was in them or where they came from.
Samples of the ingredients were taken for laboratory analysis. The council said the results showed the substances had little or no nutritional value and contained materials it described as dangerous to human health.
Why the council moved
The closure followed complaints from residents about a production site near the Federal Polytechnic Bida area. Residents said vendors crowded the place every morning to buy ice cream that was then sold across Bida, which raised fears about the health of buyers.
Production was halted after the managers of the facilities admitted they had neither the required operating licences nor registration numbers from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the agency that approves food and drugs sold in Nigeria.
The council also carted away production equipment and other materials from the sites.
Ahmed Danladi, the Supervisory Councillor for Health and Social Welfare, said the council wants food and drinks sold in the area to be made in clean conditions and to follow the rules.
He said the council chairman, U.M. Manko, would act against anyone found producing or selling food and drinks illegally or breaking public health and environmental rules.
Danladi asked residents to report any food production or distribution they find suspicious to the authorities.
For ordinary buyers in Bida, the case is a reminder that cheap, unpackaged treats can carry hidden risks. Food without a label gives no clue about ingredients, expiry dates or who made it, and unregistered products have not been checked by NAFDAC.
What happens next
The council has not said how long the shutdown will last or whether anyone will be charged. It said action would follow against those behind the illegal operations, but no names have been released.
