As artificial food seasonings and colourants, both locally produced and imported, flood Nigerian markets with little or no regulatory oversight, concerns are growing over their safety and sodium-related chemical content. With millions of households relying on these cheap flavour enhancers to prepare meals, experts fear their excessive consumption is contributing to the rising cases of hypertension, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in the country. IDOWU ABDULLAHI reports
Cooking was one of the ways Mrs Chiamaka Ndubisi expressed love after getting married.
Like many newlyweds eager to impress their spouses, the creative writer experimented with different artificial food seasonings to give her jollof rice and stew a richer taste.
With continued use, her meals looked appetising and tasted exactly how she wanted.
But what began as a harmless attempt to satisfy her husband’s palate soon gave way to a series of troubling experiences.
