NAFDAC ready To enforce ban on alcohol in sachets, plastic bottles

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), has reaffirmed its commitment to enforce ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles, below 200ml, by December 2025, in line with the recent directive of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This action, ordered by the Nigerian Senate and backed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, underscores the Agency’s statutory mandate to safeguard public health and protect vulnerable populations, particularly children, adolescents, and young adults from harmful use of alcohol.

The proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made such products easily accessible, affordable, and concealable, leading to widespread misuse and addiction among minors and commercial drivers.

According to Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Director-General, NAFDAC, while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, “this public health menace has been linked to increased incidences of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices across communities.”

Recall that in December 2018, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers, AFBTE, and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, DIBAN, to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024.

Adeyeye said: “The moratorium was later extended to December 2025 to allow industry operators, exhaust old stock and reconfigure production lines.

“NAFDAC emphasizes that the current Senate resolution aligns with the spirit and letter of that agreement and with Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, WHA63.13, 2010, to which Nigeria is a signatory.

“This ban is not punitive; it is protective. It is aimed at safeguarding the health and future of our children and youth. The decision is rooted in scientific evidence and public health considerations. We cannot continue to sacrifice the well-being of Nigerians for short-term economic gain. The health of a nation is its true wealth.”

NAFDAC further reiterates that only two categories of alcoholic beverages are affected by this regulation spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles below 200ml.

The Agency calls on all stakeholders, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, to comply fully with the phase-out deadline, as no further extension will be entertained beyond December 2025.

The Agency said it will continue to work collaboratively with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to implement nationwide sensitization campaigns on the health and social dangers associated with alcohol misuse, reiterating its commitment to remain resolute in its mission to ensure that, “only safe, wholesome, and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians for consumption.”