FG Bans Alcoholic Beverages In Small Sachets Across The Country

Alcoholic drinks produced in sachets less than 200 milliliters are prohibited by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

According to the EPA, the manufacturers of the items were given a five-year window starting in 2018 to cease producing the drinks in sachets and pet bottles, but the window ended on January 31, 2024.

According to her, the ban went into effect on February 1, 2024.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the director-general of NAFDAC, addressed the media on Monday, February 5, about the developments in Abuja.

He said that the production ban was not an abrupt development, but rather the result of a multilateral committee that decided to implement the ban gradually, with a 50% reduction in production by 2020 and an outright ban on January 31, 2024.

The DG said that NAFDAC did not give any product manufacturer renewal licenses past January 2024 in light of the verdict.

She said the FDA decided to remove the drinks from these sachets due to the harmful consequences they may have on minors.

She claimed that because the beverages are readily available, reasonably priced, and came in pocket-friendly amounts, kids were easily tricked by the packaging and would later have to deal with the fallout.

She said: “This decision was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018.

“As a commitment to the decision reached at the end of this Committee meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by 5 percent with effect from 31st January 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by 31st January 2024”. [CONTINUE READING HERE]