Matter Arising! Freshyo Yoghurt Again Develops Cholera-causing Mould

An X (formerly Twitter) user, Mubarak Tukur, has let out an alarming cry over his daughter who drank her favourite Freshyo Yogurt, but discovered it has mould.

 

The 115ml mouldy Freshyo Yogurt called TetraPack or the kids’ pack was sipped by Tukur’s two-year-old daughter, leaving her screaming—something which was novel to her whenever she took it since it is her favourite.

 

The screeching sound informs the curiosity of Mr Tukur to taste the yoghurt and found it “awful too.” So, He opens the package and surprisingly found the mould in the Freshyo yoghurt.

 

In a post made by him on X with the picture of the mould in Freshyo yoghurt, Tukur captioned, “My daughter wanted @freshyo_ng (her favourite drink). I gave her one and as soon as she sipped, she screamed Noooooo which was unusual. Tasted it myself and it was awful. Opened it up and couldn’t believe what I found.”

The yoghurt is expected to expire by 4/06/2024—more than four months to the time of developing the mould in the Freshyo yoghurt, Tukur said, noting that the manufacturer, Olam Group, which also manufactures chic-choc, noodles and tasty tom, owes him an explanation for the yoghurt. “BB 4/06/2024. You’ve some explaining to do @freshyo_ng,” he said.

 

In the heat of calling the manufacturer out, Freshyo with its verified X handle, @freshyo_ng, commented under Tukur’s post, requesting a chance to reach out to him. When he answered, the handle responded through the comment section to have been expecting Tukur’s response to get to the roots of how moulds were found in the yoghurt.

 

“Hello, Your DM is locked and we would love to reach out to you to investigate further. Could you provide us with your phone number so a representative can reach out? We’ve sent a DM and we look forward to your response so we can get to the root of this,” @freshyo_ng noted on X.

 

But in an interview with Tukur, he was rather the one waiting for the representative from Freshyo Management to contact him since Saturday the mouldy Freshyo yoghurt was discovered. “Yeah. They said a representative will call me I’m still waiting for the call,” Tukur told PIJAlance.

 

Meanwhile, the daughter is the first and the only child of Tukur.

The father is still observing his daughter for any complications over what she drank. But he feels awful over how his daughter’s and Nigerian kids’ favourite yoghurt drink turning to a poisonous diary product.

 

“She is fine so far so good. We are still observing her,” Tukur told PIJAlance exclusively. “I just want to know that my child is going to be alright and for them to address it. I feel awful about it all she is my first and only child. So you can imagine.”

 

Olam Group, the manufacturer of Freshyo Yoghurt through its subsidiaries, hit a major breakthrough with the drink in 2013. But it was not until 2016, it commenced operation after a battle with a fire incident. Freshyo, since its started circulation in 2016 has grown to become the major consumption of both young and old Nigerians. Freshyo has two flavours, Plain Sweet and Strawberry. It also has three pack sizes catering to different segments. Family pack (750ml bottle), on-the-go pack (400ml bottle), and the kids’ pack (115ml Tetrapak). Olam Group noted that “the kids’ pack comes with a straw which makes it ‘hygienic and convenient to drink’, but two times its both flavours in TetraPack sizes have been found developing moulds before their due dates.

 

In January 2023 PIJAlance reported a similar occurrence with Freshyo strawberry yoghurt. Olam Group never responded neither the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) take any action.

 

It’s barely over a year now the same occurrence repeated itself with its plain sweet flavour. It is obvious with the repeated occurrence in 2024, the problem with Freshyo yoghurt persists. This raised an alarm of the possible health condition drinking yoghurt might have caused to people drinking it in the past years.

 

Moulds in yoghurt are very poisonous. According to a USA Today article that called for the banning of Chobani Greek yogurt, after a similar occurrence took a turn in its products, moulds produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous substances.

 

Experts have said mould is called Clostridium Botulinum and it is often caused in meals and yoghurt when processed and ultra-processed foods are not fully or properly processed because it works under a low oxygen environment.

 

According to Moldtutor.com, a website that explains the health conditions associated with moulds in yoghurts and meals, If mould is found growing on yogurt, the item should be discarded, the website noted. Ingesting the mould could cause symptoms in those susceptible to it, such as people with suppressed immune systems. The taste and texture of the yoghurt will also be very unpleasant due to enzymes released by mould leading to spoilage. Yoghurt found with mould growing on should be discarded. Some strains of mould can produce a toxic substance called mycotoxins that can cause allergic reactions in some, and other unpleasant health conditions if the mould or its spores or inhaled or ingested.

 

The website noted that it is not safe to scrape the visible mould off the top of the yoghurt and consume the rest, as mould has roots that can go deep within the remaining yoghurt that are not visible to the naked eye.

 

A medical doctor, Dr Paul Ajagbe of Immanuel Medical Centre, as well told PIJAlance that people who take moulds with yoghurts have a high risk of developing gastroenteritis and cholera. Diarrhea, nausea, and headaches are other causes mentioned.

 

Dr Ajagbe states that the major cause of such mould inside the drink may be probably there was probably a hole in the package or that the preservatives used to preserve the drink were not active.

 

“People that take this seen in the drink have a high risk of having gastroenteritis or cholera. Drinking this might affect the intestine, perforating it due to salmonella bacteria, of such found in the yogurt. The patient might be dehydrated from a loose form of strolling and vomiting. Helicobacter pylori bacteria that causes ulcers might have their way on her. It may reproduce ascaris that may suck a person’s blood within a few hours, causing prolonged cough and flatulence. Gastric suction,” Dr Ajagbe told PIJAlance.

 

The medical expert continued that “possibly there is a hole in the can, or the preservatives used are not active. It might not be adequate. Most often this kind of product is from those that refill at their local company. This showcases the high rate of corruption in our country.”

 

Both the Manufacturers of Freshyo, Olam Group and NAFDAC have yet to make an official statement, explaining the cause of the moulds or offer medical assistance to the underaged involved.

 

Read Also PIJAlance’s previous report on Freshyo developing moulds here.