The Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management has stated that the alcoholic content material in sachets or small bottles of lower than 200ml is 30 per cent.
NAFDAC, nevertheless, stated this proportion is just too excessive, noting that beer comprises solely 4 to eight per cent alcohol.
The company disclosed this in a press assertion made out there to our correspondent by the Head of Public Relations Workplace, NAFDAC, Christiana Obiazikwor.
The assertion was tagged, “What Nigerians ought to learn about alcohol in sachet and fewer than 200 ml PET bottles.”
NAFDAC commenced the enforcement of the ban on alcoholic drinks in sachets, PET, and glass bottles of 200ml and under, on February 1, 2024.
The Director-Common of the company, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, throughout a press briefing in Abuja, famous that as of January 31, 2024, no such drinks have been registered with the company.
“The company commenced nationwide enforcement actions on February 1, 2024, to implement the implementation of the brand new coverage,” she stated.
Adeyeye’s announcement had generated repeated protests by distillers and labour unions, who stated the transfer would price 500,000 staff their jobs.
The company within the assertion, nevertheless, stated, “NAFDAC didn’t ban alcohol manufacturing in greater bottles. The Company solely banned alcohol in containers or packing {that a} youngster can simply conceal, I.e., sachet or PET bottles lower than 200ml
“The alcoholic content material in sachet or PET bottles lower than 200ml is 30 per cent. Beer has 4 to eight per cent alcohol.
“The Affiliation of Meals, Beverage & Tobacco Employers and Distillers and Blenders Affiliation of Nigeria signed an settlement with MOH and NAFDAC in December 2018 that they are going to section out manufacturing of alcohol in sachet and PET bottles lower than 200 ml by January 31, 2024. The settlement doc is obtainable. A five-year phase-out discover needs to be enough.”
The company famous that Nigeria was one of many 193 Member States of the World Well being Organisation that reached a historic consensus on a worldwide technique to cut back the dangerous use of alcohol by adopting decision WHA63.13 on the Sixty-third session of the World Well being Meeting, held in Geneva in 2010.
“This was seven years earlier than my time, an settlement signed by Nigeria with different nations that we’ll defend youth by making alcohol not simply reachable and accessible,” it added.
Adeyeye warned that the individuals principally liable to the detrimental results of consumption of the banned pack sizes of alcoholic drinks are the under-aged, business car drivers and riders.