Tag: alcoholic beverages

The federal government has declared its intention to review the ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles that are less than 200mls.

This followed a peaceful protest staged at the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja on Wednesday, February 21, by the members of the Food, Beverage & Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) where they presented their grievances to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate.

At the end of January, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) implemented a ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles smaller than 20ml, citing the adverse socioeconomic impact of such packaging on the nation’s future.

NAFDAC further stated that the inexpensive and readily available alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles are contributing to the emergence of a generation of addicted children, as the attractive packaging options make it easy for them to indulge in excessive consumption.

However, according to the Ministry’s Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe in a press statement on Wednesday, to the National President of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Senior Staff Association, Comrade Jomoh Oyibo, expressed the association’s dissatisfaction with the ban imposed on the manufacturing, sales, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in sachets and pet bottles.

Oyibo complained that with the ban, NAFDAC has sealed over 25 companies producing sachet and pet bottled alcoholic drinks with the reason of curbing alcoholic abuse which has affected the entrepreneurs, dependants, and the workforce negatively.

According to him, considering the present economic dynamics in Nigeria, the timing for the ban is not right, he, therefore, appealed to the Ministry for timely intervention to abate what the association is currently undergoing.

However, while addressing the protesters, the Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate assured that the Ministry would endeavour to address the grievances of the group.

Read Also: Ban on sachet alcoholic beverages puts N800b investment, 500, 000 jobs at risk

While appealing to the aggrieved group, the Minister, who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Kachallom Daju, promised to look into their complaints to chart a way forward.

Pate reportedly said: “What l am saying now is that we have heard your grievances, this is a listening Government, we are going to discuss with partners, Trade Union Congress and other members on the way forward.”

• NAFDAC lists dangers among youths consuming alcohol

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets that are smaller than 200ml.

The agency said the five-year window given to the manufacturers of the products to stop producing them in sachets and pet bottles, which began in 2028, elapsed on January 31, this year.

NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, announced the ban while addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja.

The NAFDAC boss said the enforcement of the ban took effect on February 1.

She said the ban was not a sudden development but the outcome of a multilateral committee which agreed that the ban would be in phases whereby production would be reduced by 50 per cent by 2020 while outright ban would take place on January 31, this year.

Given the decision, Adeyeye said NAFDAC did not issue renewal licences exceeding last month to any manufacturer of the products.

According to her, the agency took the route of wiping out the drinks in such sachets because of the negative effects on underage children.

The NAFDAC boss explained that since the drinks are packaged in pocket-friendly sizes, accessible, and affordable, children easily fall for the packages and face the consequences.

She said: “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, on the other hand.

“As commitment to the decision reached at the end of this committee’s meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by five per cent with effect from January 31, 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by January 31, 2024.”

According to her, the future of the country supersedes other considerations in the enforcement of the policy.

Read Also: BREAKING: FG finally bans alcoholic beverages in small sachets

The NAFDAC boss stressed that saving Nigerian children and protecting the health of the larger society was paramount to the agency.

She added: “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 Organisation (WHO) 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 WHO 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 WHO recommended some actions and strategies to policy makers that have shown to be effective and cost-effective. These include: regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages (in particular to younger people) and regulating and restricting the availability of alcohol.”