National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called on distillers to stop producing alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200millilitres.
The call was made on Monday during a two-day enforcement exercise in Ota, Ogun, by Mr. Kazeem Adeniran, Assistant Chief Regulator Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Department, NAFDAC, Lagos.
According to Adeniran, his call was the decision made by a tripartite committee that was established in 2018. He stated that as part of the agreement, distillers that are under Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) were required to cease producing alcohol in sachets and pet bottles with a capacity of less than 200ml as of January 31. He noted that five years were given to phase out the product.
“The committee approved alcohol consumption above 200ml for DIBAN. But at the time of our enforcement exercise, these enterprises were still manufacturing such alcohols in quantities smaller than 200ml, which is against the law.
“Following the 2018 meeting, it was made quite evident that they will cease producing this type of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles by 2024 and start producing alcohol larger than 200ml.
“Therefore, we are not expecting to see these pet bottles and alcoholic sachets for consumption in any Nigerian market. All products placed on hold in each of the companies visited would be relinquished and destroyed,” he said.
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According to reports, the Federal Ministry of Health had set up the committee, with other stakeholders to curb abuse of alcohol, especially among the youth, and to safeguard the lives of Nigerians.