BY CHINYERE OBIORA, LAGOS – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed three defiant manufacturing plants in Ota, Ogun State, catching operators red-handed for allegedly violating the Federal Government’s ban on producing alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles.
Reports indicated that in sting operation led by the Assistant Director of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Kunke Ojo, the Agency uncovered several violations across the affected factories.
The Agency said its officials inspected the first facility last Friday, and found sachet alcohol secretly in active production alongside large quantities of PET bottles.
According to an official statement by the Agency, “The factory was initially put on hold. However, during a follow-up visit, officials discovered that the sachet products had been secretly removed from the premises.
“NAFDAC has flagged this as a serious violation, as the products were already under regulatory enforcement.”
Commenting on the second company, (name withheld), NAFDAC said its enforcement team caught the company allegedly continuing the production of sachet alcoholic beverages despite the existing ban on it by the federal government, adding: “The premises were immediately sealed.”
Furthermore, the Agency said the third company (name also withheld) was inspected in January and its 22 production machines put on hold while millions of PET bottles and sachet packaging materials were confiscated for destruction.
However, in the latest inspection, NAFDAC said its officials discovered that the company had allegedly broken the seals and put the machines back into operation to continue producing sachet alcoholic drinks.
The statement said: “Millions of additional PET bottles were found on-site, leading to the immediate sealing of the factory”.
Hammering on its zero-tolerance policy for regulatory evasion, NAFDAC said: “This enforcement exercise is part of our strict commitment to ensuring full compliance with the nationwide ban and protecting public health by removing prohibited alcoholic products from the market.”
Meanwhile, the drugs Agency has urged consumers to remain vigilant and report the illegal sale or production of banned sachet alcoholic beverages to the nearest NAFDAC office for prompt intervention and action by relevant regulatory and security agencies.
