Health Alert: NAFDAC restates ban on sachet and PET bottle alcohol

*The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control affirms the earlier agreement, which introduced a phased withdrawal process for sachet and PET bottle alcohol, has now reached its final stage to ensure the complete removal of the affected products from the Nigerian markets

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has restated the health sector regulatory agency’s announced ban on sachet and PET bottle alcohol is still in force.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, noted this while speaking at the recent News Agency of Nigeria Forum, in Abuja, FCT.

Prof. Adeyeye urged manufacturers and distributors of alcoholic beverages to comply with the ban on sachet and PET bottle alcohol across markets in the West African country.

Emphasising that alcohol in PET bottles has been banned, the Director-General of the agency also warned distributors and retailers to desist from selling and distributing the prohibited products in the Nigerian markets, agency report stated.

She as well referenced the ministerial ban and the agreement signed by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria way back in 2018.

According to NAFDAC, the agreement, which introduced a phased withdrawal process, has now reached its final stage to ensure the complete removal of these products from the market.

Adeyeye also explained that NAFDAC stopped registering and renewing licences for such products in 2018, giving manufacturers sufficient time to exhaust their stock and cease production.

Enlightenment campaigns and stakeholder engagements have been conducted to encourage compliance with the ban, noted the NAFDAC Chief Executive.

The agency expressed concern about alcohol consumption among teenagers and young adults, highlighting that sachets make alcohol cheap and easily accessible, with potentially devastating consequences.

Adeyeye reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting public health through strict regulatory measures.

The Director-General, therefore, urged manufacturers and distributors of alcoholic beverages to comply with the ban on sachet and PET bottle alcohol in Nigeria.