Read Details As FG Bans Alcoholic Drinks In Sachets

The federal government has banned alcoholic drinks produced in sachets less than 200ml.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed this on Monday while addressing the media over the development in Abuja.

She said the five-year window given to the manufacturers of the products to stop producing the drinks in sachets and pet bottles which began in 2018 elapsed on January 31, 2024.

Read Details As FG Bans Alcoholic Drinks In Sachets

She said enforcement of the ban commenced on February 1, 2024.

“This decision was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018.

“As a commitment to the decision reached at the end of this Committee meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by 5 percent with effect from 31st January 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by 31st January 2024,” she was quoted as saying.

Adeyeye noted that the decision was based on a high-powered delegation that consisted of the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, and other relevant agencies.

She also noted that the decision was taken in the best interest of the country to protect under-aged and Nigerians in general.

“The people who are mostly at risk of the negative effect of consumption of the banned pack sizes of alcoholic beverages are the under-aged and commercial vehicle drivers and riders.

“The World Health Organization has established that children who drink alcohol are more likely to: use drugs, get bad grades, suffer injury or death, engage in risky sexual activity, make bad decisions and have health problems.

“The World Health Organization also stated that harmful consumption of alcohol is linked to more than 200 health conditions including infectious diseases (tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS) and non-communicable conditions (liver cirrhosis and different types of cancer).

“It is also associated with social problems such as alcohol addiction and gender-based violence.

“To curb the menace of abuse of alcohol, the World Health Organization recommended some actions and strategies to Policy-Makers that have shown to be effective and cost-effective, which include: regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages (in particular to younger people) and regulating and restricting the availability of alcohol.”