Following serious health concerns, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small plastic or glass bottles below 200 millilitres
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said the renewed enforcement followed a resolution of the Senate and aligned with the agency’s public health mandate.
The Agency clarified that it did not shut down any alcohol-producing company but prohibited the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small containers, stressing that the move was aimed at protecting vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles below 200ml, in line with a resolution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Agency’s public health mandate,” the statement read.
According to NAFDAC, the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content drinks in small packs has made alcohol cheap, easily accessible and easily concealable, fuelling underage drinking and other social problems.
Adeyeye said the trend had contributed to increasing cases of addiction, domestic violence, road traffic accidents, school dropouts and other social vices across the country. She added that the use of warning labels such as “Not for children” on sachets and small bottles had failed to curb the menace.
