The European Union recently banned certain Nigerian foods, meaning they can no longer be imported from the African nation until June 2016.
Beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, dried fish and meat, peanut chips and palm oil from Nigeria will no longer be available in Europe, after the European Food Safety Authority warned that such food items contain high levels of pesticides.
According to international standards, the acceptable maximum residue of dichlorvos pesticide is 0.01mg/kg. However, the food items were found to contain between 0.03mg per kg and 4.6mg per kg of dichlorvos.
IBtimes UK spoke with members of the Nigerian community in London to find out what they think about the ban and whether it will affect their businesses.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives will launch an investigation into the ban. In the meantime, it urged the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to ensure the food is processed according to international standards.
Source: Ludovica Iaccino, International Business Times