The use of chemicals to ripen fruits such as bananas, plantains, and mangoes has become a growing concern in Nigeria, with experts warning that it can have serious health consequences for consumers. According to nutrition experts, fruits treated with unsafe chemicals or excessive pesticide residues can trigger immediate poisoning symptoms and, with repeated exposure, damage the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and hormones. This practice, driven by economic pressure and weak monitoring, is putting unsuspecting consumers at risk.
Many Nigerians consume fruits as a regular part of their daily meals, valuing them for their nutritional benefits and affordability. However, the attractive appearance and freshness of these fruits can conceal a food-safety concern that may have serious consequences for consumers' health. Pharm. Orume Beatrice of the Department of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health explained that consuming fruits treated with inappropriate chemicals or harvested before the required waiting period could result in relatively high exposure to harmful substances.
The immediate health effects of consuming chemically treated fruits can range from gastrointestinal distress to neurological symptoms, depending on the pesticide involved. Possible short-term consequences include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, alongside headache, dizziness, and weakness. Beatrice also identified excessive sweating or salivation, blurred vision, tingling sensations, irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, or throat, and breathing difficulties as possible effects.
In severe poisoning cases, exposure could result in muscle twitching and neurological symptoms. Beatrice stressed that pesticides differ considerably in their acute toxicity, meaning that the severity of symptoms would depend substantially on the particular chemical and the quantity to which the individual was exposed. While immediate symptoms may be more noticeable, the potential consequences of repeated exposure to unsafe chemical residues raise deeper concerns for public health.
Some pesticides could affect specific organs and biological systems over time, making regular consumption of contaminated food a concern even where exposure did not produce obvious symptoms immediately. Beatrice listed possible long-term effects as neurotoxicity, liver and kidney damage, immune-system effects, hormonal or endocrine disruption, reproductive or developmental complications, and metabolic effects. She also noted that certain chemicals, under particular exposure circumstances, could be associated with increased cancer risk.
The use of chemicals to ripen fruits is attributed to a combination of economic pressure, perishability, inadequate storage facilities, and weak monitoring across the food supply chain. Adebowale Onafowora, Managing Director of BIC Farms Concept, expressed concern over the use of dangerous industrial chemicals such as calcium carbide to force fruit ripening, describing the practice as a form of poisoning that reflects weaknesses in the food system.
Experts are calling for stronger regulations and monitoring to prevent the use of unsafe chemicals in fruit ripening. Prince Oyewumi Oyedele Oyetunde, Editor-in-Chief of Farmers Choice Magazine, identified economic pressure, fruit perishability, consumer demand, inadequate storage and transportation facilities, unreliable electricity, and limited awareness of approved substances as factors encouraging the practice.
Key points
- The consumption of chemically ripened fruits can trigger immediate poisoning symptoms and long-term health complications.
- The practice of using chemicals to ripen fruits is driven by economic pressure and weak monitoring.
- Experts are calling for stronger regulations and monitoring to prevent the use of unsafe chemicals in fruit ripening.
