NAFDAC orders nationwide recall of alcoholic beverages below 200ml in Nigeria
Manufacturers must recall prohibited alcohol products, disable affected production lines and comply with NAFDAC’s enforcement measures before facilities can reopen.
NIGERIA – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered manufacturers of alcoholic beverages packaged in containers below 200ml to commence a nationwide recall and halt further production.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, issued the directive at a news conference in Lagos on Monday while providing an update on enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml.
The federal government announced the nationwide ban in January, following earlier consultations with regulators, manufacturers and government agencies over the sale of alcohol in small-volume containers.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC’s second tier of nationwide pop-up operations uncovered prohibited pack sizes at distribution centres, resulting in the closure of factories that violated regulatory directives.
She said the agency required the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) and the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) to sign irrevocable undertakings on behalf of their members.
According to Adeyeye, the associations undertook to notify members to stop producing the banned products before their facilities could reopen.
NAFDAC has also imposed investigative charges on companies found to have violated directives governing the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages in prohibited package sizes.
Affected companies must settle the applicable charges within the stipulated period and comply fully with the agency’s regulatory directives.
Adeyeye said all recalled products would undergo inventory verification and destruction under NAFDAC supervision in line with the enforcement undertaking.
Before any affected facility can reopen, manufacturers must provide evidence that production lines used for banned package sizes have been permanently disabled or reconfigured to prevent repackaging.
“The dismantling or reconfiguration of the production lines shall be carried out under the direct supervision and verification of NAFDAC officers,” Adeyeye said.
She warned that companies failing to comply could face continued closure, placement on NAFDAC’s regulatory watchlist, suspension or revocation of registrations, prosecution and other lawful sanctions.
Adeyeye said the ban was not an abrupt decision, noting that concerns over small-volume alcoholic products had been raised since 2018.
She said regulators had raised concerns about high-alcohol-content drinks sold in sachets and small bottles because they were cheap, easy to conceal and accessible to minors.
Manufacturers subsequently received a five-year moratorium under a December 2018 memorandum of understanding to phase out sachet alcohol and small-volume containers.
“The industry was given until Jan. 31, 2024, to reconfigure production lines, shift to larger packaging formats and phase out sachet alcohol and small bottles,” Adeyeye said.
She said the ban aims to reduce underage drinking, alcohol abuse and access to highly concentrated alcoholic beverages.
Independent research cited by NAFDAC found that 47.2% of minors procured drinks in sachets, while 41.2% procured alcoholic beverages in PET bottles.
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