The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml.
Kazeem Adeniran, NAFDAC assistant chief regulation officer, investigation and enforcement, announced the development on Monday at a two-day enforcement exercise in Ota, Ogun state.
Adeniran said the ban is in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018 by the federal ministry of health.
He said part of the 2018 agreement was that distillers, under the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), would stop the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml with effect from January 31, 2024.
Adeniran said the committee was made up of representatives of NAFDAC, DIBAN and other stakeholders.
“These companies were still producing those alcohols below 200ml at as the time we carried this enforcement exercise, which is not supposed to be,” NAN quoted Adeniran as saying.
“It is clearly stated after the meeting in 2018 that they should stop the production of such alcohol in sachets and pet bottles by 2024 and embark on production of alcohol above 200ml.
Therefore, we are not expecting to see these alcohol sachets and pet bottles in any Nigerian market for consumption.”
Adeniran said products found in companies visited would be destroyed.
He added that NAFDAC is committed to ensuring goods sold to Nigerians are safe for consumption.