The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned alcoholic beverages produced in sachets less than 200ml.
Disclosing this to newsmen, the director-general of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the five-year window given to the manufacturers of the products to stop producing the drinks in sachets and pet bottles which began in 2028 elapsed on January 31, 2024. She said enforcement of the ban commenced on February 1, 2024.
According to her, the agency took the decision to ban the production of the drinks in such sachets because of the negative effects on underage children. She said because the drinks come in pocket-friendly sizes, accessible and affordable, children easily fell for the packages only to face the consequences in the future.
“This decision was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018.
As a commitment to the decision reached at the end of this Committee meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by 5 percent with effect from 31st January 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by 31st January 2024”.