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The recent hospitalization of 17 persons in Ibadan, Oyo State, after a meal of yam flour, known in local parlance as amala, has again thrown up the issue of food control and safety in the country.

This is not the first time this kind of incident is happening and it may not be the last if our food regulatory agency does not rise up to the challenge of containing it.

It is sad that many Nigerians have lost their lives through the consumption of lethal and unwholesome food products in recent times. The relevant agency should help prevent a recurrence by ensuring that all foodstuff sold in Nigerian markets meet required safety standards.

The Ibadan incident affected six families in the Hope area of Alakia, in the city. According to reports, the victims ate the poisonous meal between Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27. Four of the victims that ate the meal on Saturday took ill before dawn, while 13 who took it on Sunday morning feel ill after some hours. Six of the victims were children.

The yam flour was said to have been bought from a female trader at Gbagi market. All the victims were rushed to Al-Hayyu Hospital after they became unconscious and were treated. They were said to have developed various ailments such as stomach pains, diarrhea, vomiting, convulsion and loss of consciousness, after the meal.

Meanwhile, the woman who sold the yam flour to the families of the victims, Mrs. Aminat Asabi, had denied any foul play in the incident. She told investigators she had been selling yam flour to the families for several years, without any incident.

Dr. Junaid Ogundiran of the Al-Hayyu Hospital, Ibadan, where the victims were treated has suggested that the yam flour might have contained chemicals used in preserving it. He explained that a shrewd trader with intent to make quick money may have pushed the product into the market without waiting for the required period for the neutralization of the poison in the preservative. According to the medic, the poison can last for months, or even years.

We deplore the incessant cases of food poisoning in the country, which, at times, lead to deaths. If it is not yam flour, it is cassava flour or mushroom. It is necessary to put a stop to this kind of unpalatable situation.

Therefore, we call on the Federal Ministry of Health, its Oyo State counterpart and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to investigate the matter properly. The three bodies should unearth the cause of the incident so that the public can be advised to take precautionary measures to avert a reccurence. We urge that proper scientific analysis be done on the lethal amala to determine what actually went wrong. There is the need to locate the source of the toxic amala with a view to recalling it and halting further sales.

Foodstuff sellers, especially those dealing in foods that require preservatives, should be enlightened on how best to use them to stop the unpleasant situation from repeating itself.

Without preempting the outcome of the investigation of the matter, it is not unlikely that indiscriminate use of preservatives might, indeed, be the cause of the incident. This is the time to educate users of food preservatives, especially market women, on their potential hazards and how to avoid them.

We sympathise with the victims of the ugly incident and enjoin the Oyo State government to foot their hospital bills. NAFDAC should step up its food regulatory and control activities to cover local edibles like yam and cassava flours, beans and other foodstuff that have become lethal of late.