Mr Sunday Badewole, the Osun State Coordinator of SON gave the warning at a seminar organised for members of the Association of Master Bakers and Confectionery of Nigeria on Friday in Osogbo, The Nation reports.

At the one-day seminar with the theme: “Good Manufacturing Practice: A Must in Factories’’, Badewole said that exposing flour and other raw baking materials to rodents was unhygienic.

“Preventing the spread of Lassa fever and maintaining clean factory environment is a collective effort and that is why we appeal to master bakers to keep their factory protected from rodents and pest.

“They should ensure raw materials are of good quality and are stored in a good environment.’’

He stressed that the health of Nigerians was paramount to the organisation, adding that the SON would never compromise industrial standards.

The SON official urged the master bakers to always check for expiry and production date, manufacturers’ address and the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) mark of quality on every raw baking material purchased.

He urged the master bakers to ensure their products get SON Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificate.