NAFDAC enforces ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET bottles below 200ml

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has begun implementing its ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles smaller than 200ml.

The enforcement kicked off with an operation targeting distributors at Rumuokoro Market in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

A statement released on Friday by Pharm. Chukwuma Oligbu, the South-South Zonal Director of NAFDAC, and signed by the zone’s Public Relations Officer, Cyril Monye, confirmed that large quantities of the banned products were discovered in two shops during the exercise. The items, which included hundreds of cartons of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles, were seized, although the traders resisted and obstructed the removal process.

Oligbu explained that manufacturers had been given a five-year notice in 2018 to cease the production of these items, with the grace period ending in December 2023. The ban was officially announced by NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, in February 2024.

“The decision to ban these alcoholic beverages was made by a multilateral committee formed by the federal government, involving all stakeholders in the industry. NAFDAC will not stand idly by while the lives of young Nigerians are being endangered by these spirits,” Oligbu stressed.

The statement also issued a warning to manufacturers, urging them to halt production of the banned items. NAFDAC pledged to increase its efforts in cracking down on non-compliant companies and continue seizing such products from supermarkets, shops, and hawkers across the country.