‘How beans treated with Sniper kill slowly’

Three siblings allegedly selling ‘poisonous beans’ (beans treated with Sniper) were recently arrested in Lagos. The traders, apparently out of ignorance, claimed that they saw Sniper as something that kills insects and decided to use it to preserve beans and kill the insects. Following this, many Lagosians have stayed away from eating beans. Findings show that the sale of the product has significantly dropped.   Also the Consumer Protection Commission, CPC, in a statement, advised consumers to parboil beans before consumption. In this interview, the National President of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, NIFST, the body representing food professionals drawn from the academia, industry, government and research institutes in Nigeria, Mr Oluwole Toye, speaks on the scare. According to him, pesticides could be dangerous when ingested with foods at certain levels and they could become harmful, over time, from accumulated consumption. He maintains that only strict adherence to the recommended usage is key.

Excerpts:

What are pesticides and their uses?

Pesticides are chemicals deployed in the control and management of insects or other organisms harmful to plants and animals. Pesticides are substances that are used to control pest including weeds. The term pesticide includes all of the following: herbicide, insecticides nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, fungicide, disinfectant, and sanitizer. Pesticides could be applied anywhere within the agricultural value chain. These may be in time of planting, through cultivation and harvesting (herbicides, nematicides, pesticides, rodenticides etc.), food storage (insecticides, rodenticide, avicides, bactericides etc.), transportation, distribution etc. They are used in the control and management of insects, plants and other organisms that could lead to loss in stored foods and harvested produce. They are also used to prevent food-borne illnesses and poisoning.

Are they safe for consumption?

They could be dangerous when ingested with foods at certain levels. They could become harmful, over time, from accumulated consumption. In its usage, strict adherence to the recommended usage as contained in the Material Safety Data Sheet, MSDS, is advocated. Most chemicals have a maximum potency time, beyond which it becomes impotent. Therefore, to achieve the kill time/rate for the targeted pest in stored produce, holding time must not be less than the stated time, that is, 90 days. It, therefore, holds that until the expiration of that date, the food, being in contact with the active chemical, cannot be safe for consumption, hence, leading to food poisoning from residual acting chemical contaminated foodstuff. That is the issue here. This could also be an issue from hormonal treatment in poultry products often imported into this country (Orobo). Pesticides help in the reduction of harvested food losses during storage, transportation and distribution. They also ensure safe consumption of food, thereby enhancing nutritional status of consumed foods. It could also impact on the health status of the community, as nutritional foods help in ensuring good health.

Recently, there were issues regarding Sniper treated beans. What is your take on this issue and what is the recommended quantity?

The issue is not the usage, but the residual active time of the chemical, and the informed rate of usage. All pesticides, as with chemicals, are sold with MSDS. This gives details as to the name of the active chemical, the manufacturer, the guidelines on usage,   the actions to take in case of accidental exposure and other vital information about the use of the chemical. Sniper is one of the most widely used brands of pesticides in Nigeria because of its effectiveness in controlling pests, especially insects and reptiles. 

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