The Enugu State Government and a dietician have cautioned residents against the use of adulterated cooking oil, non-food colourants and unsafe packaging materials in preparing Okpa, a popular traditional delicacy, saying such practices could pose health risks.
They gave the warning in separate interviews with newsmen on Wednesday in Enugu, following concerns over claims linking consumption of Okpa to kidney disease.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Onyemaechi Ugwu, urged residents to rely on verified medical information rather than unsubstantiated claims about food and disease. The state Ministry of Health is responsible for promoting the health and wellbeing of residents.
Ugwu said kidney-related conditions could result from several factors, including the indiscriminate use of herbal medicines, and advised residents to seek medical advice from qualified health professionals.
He also urged residents to return to natural methods of preparing traditional foods, including the use of locally produced palm oil in preparing Okpa.
According to him, the government was concerned about the quality and safety of food consumed by residents and warned against introducing harmful substances into otherwise nutritious foods.
On the use of colourants, the commissioner said only substances approved for food consumption should be used.
“If you want to add paint into what you are eating, is that food? No,” he said.
Ugwu called on relevant regulatory agencies to intensify monitoring of food products and ensure that residents had access to safe and wholesome foods.
He also advised residents to eat balanced diets, exercise regularly, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and take routine health checks seriously.
The commissioner said the Ministry of Health would continue to work with medical specialists and the media to provide accurate information on kidney disease and other health conditions.
Also speaking, a dietician, Mrs Chioma Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, dismissed claims that Okpa itself causes kidney disease, describing the delicacy as nutritious and healthy.
Nwachukwu said Okpa, made from Bambara nut, naturally contains appreciable amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates and essential minerals, including iron and zinc.
She said its carbohydrate content has a low to medium glycaemic index, making it suitable for many people.
The dietician, however, warned that health concerns could arise from adulteration during preparation, particularly through the use of unapproved food colourants, adulterated cooking oil and inappropriate packaging materials.
She said some sellers add non-food colourants to make Okpa appear more attractive and reddish, while others use adulterated oil.
According to her, such substances could have harmful effects on the body, including placing additional stress on the kidneys and liver.
Nwachukwu also cautioned consumers against Okpa prepared in heated nylon or cellophane, explaining that chemicals from some packaging materials could migrate into food when exposed to heat.
She recommended safer traditional alternatives, including plantain and banana leaves, for wrapping and steaming Okpa.
“Not the Okpa itself.
“The problem is with some of the things people add to it or use in preparing it, including adulterated oil, colourants and heated nylon,” she said.
Nwachukwu noted that people already living with kidney disease were a different category, stressing that such patients required personalised dietary advice from a dietician.
She said patients with kidney problems might need to have their protein intake carefully measured because their kidneys might not be able to adequately handle excessive waste products.
She further advised people with hypertension and other conditions that could increase the risk of kidney disease to be particularly careful about what they consume.
The dietician urged the public to seek accurate nutrition information and avoid spreading claims that could wrongly discourage people from eating nutritious traditional foods.
She also called for greater public sensitisation on the dangers of adulterated food ingredients and unsafe food preparation practices.
An Okpa seller, Mrs Nkechi Ugwu, also dismissed claims that the delicacy causes diseases, saying she had been selling Okpa since her youth and prepared hers with red oil and pepper without artificial colourants.
She explained that colourants make Okpa appear deep red, while naturally prepared Okpa is usually lighter in colour.
