The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small plastic or glass bottles below 200 millilitres.
The agency clarified that it did not shut down any alcohol-producing company but only prohibited the sale of alcohol in sachets and small containers, citing public health concerns.
In a statement on Thursday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said the move was aimed at protecting children, adolescents and young adults from the harmful use of alcohol.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles below 200ml, in line with a resolution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Agency’s public health mandate,” the statement read.
According to the agency, the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made alcohol cheap, easily accessible and easily concealable, contributing to rising cases of underage drinking, addiction, domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts and other social vices.
Adeyeye noted that placing warning labels such as “Not for children” on sachets and small containers had proven ineffective due to societal realities.
“Many parents do not even know their children consume sachet alcohol because the pack size is small, cheap and easily concealed,” she said.
