The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has revealed plans by the agency to begin the implementation of the prohibition on the importation, manufacture, distribution, sale and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET and glass bottles of 200ml and below.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, Adeyeye who stated that the agency had in January 2022 halted the registration of alcoholic beverages in sachet and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200ml, noted that as of January 31, 2024, there was no alcoholic beverage in these categories that was registered by NAFDAC.
“I also want to inform you that the agency has started enforcement actions on the implementation of this policy. The window period given to manufacturers by NAFDAC to sell off all alcoholic drinks in this category elapsed on the 31st of January 2024.
“To this end, on the first day, after the elapse of the window period, the agency commenced nationwide enforcement actions on the 1st of February 2024 to enforce the implementation of the new policy. The manufacturers and printers of labels and packaging materials were the initial targets,” she added.
While explaining the affordability and convenience for young people to patronize, the Director General emphasized that users of such sachet alcoholic drinks which range from commercial bus drivers, keke riders, okada riders, and young persons mostly below the age of 18, constitute a nuisance to the society.
She maintained that the negative impact of the harmful consumption of alcohol which is mostly consumed for economical, easily accessible and miniature nature, mandated the Agency to take the bold measure of banning it, in order to save young people and to protect the public health in the society.
Prof. Adeyeye said that the people who are mostly at risk of the negative effects of consumption of the banned pack sizes of alcoholic beverages are the under-aged and commercial vehicle drivers and riders.
She added that the World Health Organization (WHO) has found out that children who drink alcohol are more susceptible to use drugs, get bad grades, suffer injury or death, engage in risky sexual activity, make bad decisions and have health problems.
The Director General stressed that in the course of the enforcement actions, the Agency discovered that some manufacturers of these banned products were still in production of the products and still had stacks of both finished products and packaging materials of the products in their possession.
