…mandates manufacturers to stop their production or face closure

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Monday commenced full enforcement of the Federal Government’s ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET/plastic bottles below 200ml, ordering manufacturers to recall the prohibited products while launching street-to-street crack-down.

The agency, which warned of severe sanctions for violators, warned sellers that enforcement would extend to the streets, saying NAFDAC would use intelligence-led operations, seizures and investigative charges against those selling prohibited alcoholic products.

According to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the renewed crackdown became necessary because banned products were still being found in markets, distribution centres, retail outlets, motor parks and other points of sale, months after the ban officially took effect on January 1, 2026.

She stressed that the agency was not seeking to prohibit alcohol consumption but to prevent the proliferation of high-alcohol-content products in cheap, small containers that are easily accessible to children and young people.

Adeyeye said research informing the policy showed that 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage consumers procured alcohol in sachets, while 41.2 per cent of minors and 47.2 per cent of underage consumers obtained alcohol in PET bottles.

The agency disclosed that some factories had been shut and staff arrested for continued production. It subsequently required the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and their member companies to sign an Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaking committing them to stop producing the prohibited products.

Under the agreement, affected companies must immediately recall sachet and sub-200ml PET alcoholic beverages from distributors, warehouses and other points in the supply chain and submit periodic compliance reports to NAFDAC.

The recalled products will be verified and destroyed under NAFDAC supervision, with manufacturers bearing the cost. Facilities shut for violations must also demonstrate that production lines used for prohibited packaging have been dismantled, permanently disabled or reconfigured before reopening.

She said the ban followed years of consultation, beginning in 2018, and a five-year moratorium granted manufacturers to reconfigure production lines and transition to larger packaging. The deadline was later extended to December 31, 2025, before full enforcement commenced in January 2026.

NAFDAC said enforcement had been implemented in tiers. The first phase targeted manufacturers, with prohibited products found in factories evacuated and destroyed. The second phase, launched in July, involves nationwide mop-up operations targeting markets, motor parks, bars, retail outlets and distribution centres.

Adeyeye warned that companies that breach the undertaking face continued

closure, placement on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Watchlist, suspension or revocation of product registrations, criminal prosecution and other lawful sanctions.

“We are not expecting this to end next week or two weeks,” she said, stressing that enforcement would continue until compliance was achieved.

NAFDAC urged consumers and members of the public to report the manufacture, distribution or sale of prohibited alcoholic beverages to the agency or its nearest office.

Please follow and like us: