NAFDAC Begins Nationwide Mop-Up Of Sachet, Small PET Bottle Alcohol

NAFDAC Begins Nationwide Mop-Up of Sachet, Small PET Bottle Alcohol The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC has launched a nationwide enforcement exercise to remove alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate PET bottles below 200 millilitres from circulation across Nigeria. According to the agency, the operation is aimed at enforcing the Federal Government’s ban on the production, importation, distribution, sale, and use of alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and small PET bottles. The exercise is being carried out simultaneously across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

NAFDAC said the mop-up exercise follows the closure of manufacturing facilities found to be violating the ban and is intended to eliminate all prohibited alcoholic beverages still in circulation.Enforcement teams have been deployed to markets, supermarkets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars, restaurants, and other distribution points to identify, confiscate, and destroy banned products. The agency warned that manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, transporters, and street hawkers involved in producing, stocking, transporting, or selling the prohibited alcoholic beverages risk regulatory sanctions, seizure of products, and possible prosecution. NAFDAC also urged businesses and individuals still in possession of the affected products to voluntarily surrender their remaining stock, stressing that continued distribution or sale is illegal under existing regulations. The regulator clarified that the enforcement targets only alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles with capacities below 200ml, while products packaged in approved sizes remain unaffected. The nationwide crackdown forms part of the government’s broader efforts to reduce harmful alcohol consumption, curb substance abuse, and limit access to inexpensive alcoholic beverages by children and young people. NAFDAC noted that small-pack alcohol has been linked to underage drinking and other public health concerns. The agency appealed to members of the public to support the enforcement exercise by reporting anyone involved in the production, storage, transportation, or sale of the banned alcoholic beverages and advised consumers to avoid purchasing such products.