…Says no evidence it’s responsible for underage consumption
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has criticized the rationale behind the recent ban on the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles, stating that the assertion linking it to the reported increase in underage alcohol consumption lacks evidence.
This viewpoint was articulated in a statement signed by MAN’s Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, on Wednesday.
This reaction follows the announcement by the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on February 5, 2024, regarding the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles smaller than 200 ml.
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The statement recalled that when NAFDAC first proposed the ban, critical stakeholders, including key members of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), raised concerns in a letter dated 6/11/2018 that included the following:
“The assertion that the segmentation or packaging of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles is responsible for the reported increase in alcohol use among the underage is unfounded. Rather, DIBAN was of the view that it is a reflection of a systemic problem with much wider ramifications.
“That attributing the alleged increase in the use of hard drugs to the production and sales of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small PET bottles is incorrect; no scientific or other studies have proven this claim.
“That packaging and sales of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles is not the reason for irresponsible use in terms of quantity, intoxication, and other menaces; that this ban will certainly lead to black market or bootlegging; the influx and proliferation of fake and adulterated products; and that it will also damage local manufacturing and negatively affect the economy, as well as the social wellbeing of the people of Nigeria.”
MAN, in a statement revealed to Vanguard, called on the government to “intensify its activities and support in the form of access control and tighter regulations, but definitely not ban, which will be counterproductive, and that the ban be reversed immediately.” # NAFDAC