By Ali Rabiu Ali Jigawa
In a decisive move to safeguard public health, the Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (JSPHCDA) has destroyed 5,520 cartons of expired noodles across the state.
The expired food items were destroyed through controlled burning on Wednesday in Dutse, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), after they were discovered to have exceeded their approved shelf life.
The State Cold Chain Officer of the agency, Mr Yusuf Inuwa, said the noodles were originally supplied by WHO to support the National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign scheduled to commence on Nov. 26.
He explained that the immunisation exercise was later postponed to Dec. 2 following a directive from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, making it impossible to distribute the noodles before their expiration date.
According to Inuwa, the noodles were immediately retrieved from all the 27 local government areas of the state where they had been pre-positioned for distribution during the campaign.
“The best-before date of the noodles was Dec. 2, 2025. Once the campaign was postponed, we had no option but to recall all the items from the local government areas and destroy them after they expired,” he said.
He stressed that the destruction was carried out transparently to prevent expired food items from entering the market and to maintain public confidence in public health interventions.
The exercise was observed by officials of security agencies, environmental protection authorities, and members of the media to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards.
