VIDEO: Bon bread CEO defends product safety amid viral TikTok controversy

The Chief Executive Officer and founder of Bon Bread, Maria Umeagwukadilo, has responded to the controversy surrounding a viral TikTok video that questioned the safety of her company’s products.

In a video which was shared on TikTok on Friday, Umeagwukadilo expressed concern over the impact of the claim on her business, noting that nearly two decades of work were being threatened by what she described as a misleading social media narrative.

She said: “It pains me that after putting in 20 years of hard work, somebody on social media with a two-minute clip will cause so much damage.’’

The controversy began after a TikTok user alleged that a loaf of bread remained fresh for about two months, sparking widespread debate online, with many users linking the claim to Bon Bread.

Reacting, the CEO said she founded the company in 2006 and has grown it from a small operation into a business employing about 80 staff, with over 100 others indirectly supported.

“Hello everyone, my name is Maria Umeagwukadilo and I am the CEO and founder of Bon bread. I started this business in 2006. Actually this year makes it 20 years that I have been running Bon bread. I am a mother of two. I started Bon bread when my life was at its lowest, at times I couldn’t even pay my house rent.

“Over the years Bon bread grew from three number of staff to 80 staff strength today and more than a hundred extended staff workers. Over the years I have struggled.

“I have done my best to keep the business running. I have continuously strived to give my clients, my buyers the best of the product I can produce. I don’t take quality lightly.’’

She maintained that the company adheres strictly to food safety regulations set by agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.

“From day one I have always ensured that my products meet the standard that is recommended by NAFDAC, by SON and all regulatory bodies. I continually strive for freshness.

“In fact, my business is one of the few bakeries that does not produce bread to be sold. We produce bread by order, which means we produce every day only the bread that has been ordered.

“Having explained thus far, on Monday my attention was drawn to a click on social media. Sorry I am analogue. I don’t know much about social media but yes I have people, I have young people in my life.”

Umeagwukadilo explained that she initially dismissed the viral video but later attempted to contact the content creator to seek clarification on the source of the bread and the basis of the claim.

“So my distributors and everyone were calling me and my attention was drawn to this social media clip. At first I dismissed it but then persistent calls told me that I needed to look more into this,” she said.

According to her, the attempt was unsuccessful as the individual allegedly blocked her across communication channels.

“I made a call to the lady who had done this clip and my intention was to ask her for a meeting, maybe we can talk through it. I wanted to understand where she got the bread from, how come the bread had stayed two months according to her claim but she cut the call on me.

“I need to say here that I totally agree that there are products in the market that can be harmful to your health.

“Most of our food items are being adulterated but what I do not agree with is that she is holding on bread and saying that my brand lasted two months,” she said.

She also disputed suggestions that her product was directly identified in the video but noted that some social media users mentioned Bon Bread in the comment section, which may have fueled public assumptions.

“I also know that she says that she did not call any name, she did not mention names. How come people were calling me? I also saw in her comment section before I called her, people on her platform had actually mentioned BON bread and she had said that she liked it which for me meant that she was agreeing to the fact that that was BON bread she was holding.

“I totally don’t have any problem with this. All I want her to do is show me how what the bread is. I just wanted to understand but she has blocked me in every way as such to be able to speak to her,” she said.

The CEO challenged the allegation, urging the public to independently verify the quality of her products.

“I also want to use this opportunity to ask the entire public that is interested in this matter, whenever you see BON bread please buy it. Go and test this by yourself because if I come here and tell you that it is not true, it is my word against hers, you can go and test it. I told her let’s go and test the bread you have,” she said.

She further disclosed plans to publish her company’s regulatory certifications and laboratory test results spanning the past 20 years to demonstrate compliance with safety standards.

” After this video, I am going to post here all my NAFDAC registrations for the past 20 years, all my lab tests for the past 20 years and I challenge anyone in the public, honestly I have anything to hide. Please go and check if what I claim is wrong.

“I eat my bread, my staff eats my bread, my family eats my bread. I cannot feed you what will be damaging to your health and it pains me that after putting in 20 years of hard work, somebody on social media with a two-minute clip will cause so much damage to my business,” she said.

Umeagwukadilo also appealed to the content creator to come forward and provide clarity, noting that she remains open to scrutiny and dialogue.

“I am forced to come here to clear the air. I am still using this medium to appeal to her to come forward and show me where she got her claim from. I’m open to discussions and I’m open to scrutiny,” she said.

Despite the controversy, she thanked customers for their continued support and expressed confidence that the truth would eventually emerge.

She said, “I also want to use this opportunity to thank my loyal bread BON bread eaters. Thank you so much for sticking with us and I am sure that before long we will find, we will get to the end of this matter. We will get to the end of this matter.
We will know the truth. We will see the truth from the lies and we will understand how this came about. Thank you very much.”

The controversy originated from a viral TikTok video in which a user claimed that a loaf of bread remained fresh for about two months. Although no brand was explicitly mentioned in the clip, several users in the comment section speculated that the product was from Bon Bread, with some alleging similarities in packaging and appearance.

The speculation quickly gained traction across social media platforms, triggering debates about food preservation, additives, and product safety in Nigeria’s baking industry.

Watch the video below:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐁𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐤𝐓𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐲

Credit: TikTok | bonbread
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