NAFDAC orders nationwide recall, destruction of banned sachet alcohol

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered manufacturers to recall alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and polyethylene bottles of less than 200ml from across Nigeria, marking a fresh push to remove the products from circulation.

The agency also ordered that all recalled products be destroyed under its supervision, with manufacturers required to bear the cost.

The move comes as small, inexpensive alcoholic drinks remain widely available in kiosks, roadside shops, markets and other informal retail outlets across the country, making alcohol readily accessible in communities, including to young people.

NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye said the latest enforcement followed an Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaking signed by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and their member companies.

Under the agreement, affected manufacturers must immediately retrieve the prohibited products from distributors, warehouses and other points along the supply chain and submit periodic compliance reports to NAFDAC.

The agency said recalled products will first undergo inventory verification before being destroyed under its supervision.

“The agency wishes to emphasise that all recalled alcoholic products shall be subjected to inventory verification and destruction under NAFDAC supervision in accordance with the terms of the enforcement undertaking,” it said.

The recall is the latest stage in a regulatory battle that has lasted years. NAFDAC said it first raised concerns in 2018 about the widespread sale of high-alcohol-content drinks in sachets and small bottles, citing their low cost, portability and easy accessibility, including to minors.

Manufacturers were given a five-year moratorium in December 2018 to phase out the products and transition to larger packaging. The deadline, initially set for January 31, 2024, was later extended to December 31, 2025.

The ban took effect on January 1, 2026, covering alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, PET bottles below 200ml and glass bottles below 200ml.

NAFDAC began enforcement against manufacturers in January, followed by nationwide efforts to remove the products from markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars and distribution centres from July.

The agency said some prohibited products continued to turn up at distribution centres, prompting the closure of facilities and arrests of employees of companies found producing them.

From cheap drink to public-health concern

The regulatory concern goes beyond packaging. The small containers have made alcoholic drinks cheap, portable and easy to sell almost anywhere. In many Nigerian communities, they are sold from informal outlets alongside everyday goods, bringing strong alcoholic beverages within easy reach of consumers who might otherwise have limited access to larger, more expensive bottles.

NAFDAC says the restrictions are intended to curb underage drinking, alcohol abuse and access to highly concentrated alcoholic beverages in small, inexpensive containers.

The agency’s existing spirit-drink regulations require alcoholic products to carry an 18+ age restriction prominently on their labels.

The scale of the challenge, however, means enforcement cannot stop at manufacturers. Removing the products from circulation also depends on distributors, retailers, markets and other points of sale complying with the ban.

NAFDAC said companies whose facilities were sealed for producing the prohibited pack sizes must “dismantle, permanently disable or reconfigure” the affected production lines before their facilities can reopen.

The work must be carried out under NAFDAC’s direct supervision and verification.

Reopening will also depend on full compliance with the recall, payment of applicable regulatory and investigative charges, successful destruction of recalled products and satisfactory inspection and certification by the agency.

Companies that fail to comply could face continued closure, placement on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Watchlist, suspension or revocation of product registrations and criminal prosecution where applicable.

“Companies that fail to comply with the terms of the undertaking risk severe regulatory sanctions,” the agency said.

NAFDAC urged members of the public to report the manufacture, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml through its official channels or the nearest NAFDAC office.