NAFDAC slams ban on alcoholic  drink in sachet, pet bottles

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), has asked distillers to stop producing alcoholic beverages in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml.

The Assistant Chief Regulator Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Department, NAFDAC, Lagos, Mr Kazeem Adeniran, made the call at a two-day enforcement exercise on Monday in Ota, Ogun.

Adeniran, who said that the call was in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018, also stressed that part of the agreement was that distillers, under the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, DIBAN, should stop the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml with effect from January 31.

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Adeniran said that the Federal Ministry of Health had set up the committee in 2018, of which NAFDAC and DIBAN were members, with other stakeholders to curb abuse of alcohol, especially among the youth.

“These companies were still producing those alcohols below 200ml at the time we carried out this enforcement exercise, which is not supposed to be.

“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,” he said.