Nigerians have raised serious concerns over a weight gain pap for babies being marketed on TikTok, urging the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to investigate the product’s safety.
The controversy began after several users on X.com expressed alarm about the potential dangers of the product, which is promoted as an “organic” solution for helping babies gain weight.
Dr. Chinonso Egemba, a popular Nigerian health influencer better known as Aproko Doctor, took to X.com on Monday to call for immediate action.
“Dear #NafdacAgency, I’m guessing this is within your purview. No one knows what is inside that pap. Also, this is setting these babies for damage,” he stated, highlighting the risks posed by the product.
The concern escalated after users #JaceTheJace and #Talk2veee shared alarming videos originally posted by the TikTok user #purelyorganicc, showing babies allegedly consuming the weight gain pap.
One of the videos featured a caption that read, “POV: My customer’s baby while using our baby’s weight gain pap. Now tell me why you haven’t gotten our products yet. Baby is only four months old.” Another video claimed that a one-year-old baby weighed 47 kg, with the caption, “He is currently weighing 47kg. That was last month when I checked, and he is only a year old.”
Reacting to the videos, #JaceTheJace expressed outrage, saying, “Can you just imagine this? We need to find a way to stop this person. She took the video off her page; this is the page in question.”
In a separate post, #Talk2veee questioned the obsession with “chubby babies” and the potential risks of promoting weight gain products for infants.
“What’s the obsession with chubby babies? Are slim babies unhealthy?” she wrote, sharing a WhatsApp review from a parent praising the product.
The review read, “We are four months. She is doing wonders. People dey gather her; they call her boss baby. Madam, what are you feeding her with? E choke, my baby na celeb everywhere we dey. The joy is heavenly.”
As the conversation gained traction, Nigerians continued to express concern about the potential harm such products could cause, calling on NAFDAC to address the issue.
“She doesn’t even know what’s inside the so-called pap. I’ve emailed child help and domestic violence organisations, I don’t know who to reach out to again; we need to do something about this rubbish before babies start dying!” wrote #JaceTheJace.
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Another user, #Razoredmanchi, highlighted the confusing weight measurements used by the seller, pointing out, “Nigerians and confusing KG with lbs, that baby is 47 pounds, which is roughly 21.3 kg, but that’s still too heavy for a child; they should arrest that seller. #NafdacAgency, see ooooooh.
That’s to tell you how ‘illiterate’ the seller is. Such person that doesn’t even know basic ‘weight/mass’ shouldn’t be making consumables for babies.
#NafdacAgency, make una do something.”
Many also voiced concerns over the promotion of such products contributing to childhood obesity. #StephanieInii wrote, “I wondered too, are these parents not aware that these are harmful to their health? Why subject these kids to early obesity?”
Similarly, #ChineduMpamugo commented, “Having an extremely big infant is not a ‘flex’ as some think. What you need is a healthy child, not an obese one. Infant obesity poses a short- and long-term problem, with a risk of chronic diseases later in life. It’s worse when you have to give special products for weight gain.”
#loveanswersall shared their thoughts, writing, “How can a baby be weighing that much? My baby weighed 11 kg, and I was bothered about him being overweight. Now mothers go to any lengths to make their babies grow big.”
#Queen_Ozioma, in response, expressed disbelief, saying, “At this point, I believe people who sell this kind of product are using diabolical means to get their customers because no normal person would buy this for their baby.”
#JaceTheJace replied, “You need to see her comment section; more and more people are requesting it; some are even asking if she makes for adults.”
Amara, tweeting as #Amy_beke, shared similar concerns, stating, “Like honestly! Who knows what they put inside that pap? I feel bad for that child.”
In light of these growing concerns, #TheoAbuAgada urged NAFDAC to take swift action, writing, “Hello, #NafdacAgency, what are you doing about these vendors selling organic weight gain pap and feeding it to children? This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.”
