Production and marketing of a local gin without a brand name, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification, portends great danger to consumers. There are fears that many consumers will suffer the effect of the uncertified and unlabelled gins that go with various acronyms, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.
Ogogoro, kai-kai, OR, AKPETESI, is a West African alcoholic drink, brewed locally. With no brand name, label and product content information, as well as International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification, the local gin has attracted somewhat creative brand names across regions and culture. But, health experts believe Ogogoro, Kain-kain or akpeteshie dangers it poses to the health of ifs consumers.
In Ghana, it is also known as akpeteshie. It has various names in Nigeria, such as Sapele Water, kain-kain, Sun gbalaja, Egun inu igo (meaning the Masquerade in the bottle), push-me-I-push-you, and Sonsé (“do you do it?” in Yoruba language). “Ifs local brewers can adapt some of these fantastic and creative names as brand names with label and content information. These brand names will win brand name awards any day, but the dangers of consuming this local gin and the health effect, are a topic for another day,” says the Chief Executive Officer, Kush Media Limited, Mr. Yemi Kushimo.
Distilled from the juice of Raffia palm trees, an incision is made in the trunk and a gourd placed outside it for collection, which is collected over a day or two period. After extraction, the sap is boiled to form steam, which subsequently condenses and is collected for consumption.
But this production process has been faulted as the active ingredient in ogogoro, ethanol, which concentration within the drink is very high, and said to be of a great health risk.
As a result of the concern over unlabelled local gin, the Federal Government a few weeks ago banned the consumption of the locally brewed gin, popularly called Ogogoro in all parts of the country as a result of the rising health hazards.
Of more to the government was a recent report of deaths that trailed the consumption of the local gin in Rivers and Ondo states. The government confirmed that the death toll in Rivers State had risen to 38, while 18 people died in Ode-Irele, Ondo State, following the consumption of the local gin.
The Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, Dr. Paul Orhii, in his reaction to the death of 38 persons in Rivers State, said the recent incidents in Rivers and Ondo states were associated with the consumption of locally made gin. According to him, considering the risk in the consumption of locally made gin, it has become imperative to “warn the public to desist from the consumption of unregistered locally made spirits (Ogogoro) and other unregistered bitters.”
He also warned that the government “would confiscate all illegally brewed alcoholic beverages” across the country. “The symptoms suffered by victims include vomiting, abdominal pain, blurred vision, headache, dizziness and loss of consciousness with subsequent sudden deaths of 18 victims.”
According to a brand expert at Products Label Intelligence, labelling of local gin gives the product an identify, and shows how socially responsible a brewer is. In the case of those who died in Ondo State, the analyst said, no producer will be held responsible because there was no identified maker of the Ogogoro.
“The main function of labeling is to provide a form of distinction to assist people differentiate one product from the next. The information on labels contains all the relevant data about that particular product. Labeling is greatly used in beverages and food products, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and electronics, among others. So, if any one died, or suffered any health hazard as a result of consumption, someone can be held responsible,” said the analyst who works on a alcoholic brand.
He said labelling is essential in beverages and food products. “This kind of label is the simplest and significant method of communicating information about products between sellers and buyers. It is the main means through which buyers tell apart individual brands and foods so as to make good buying choices. When food products have been labelled, users can now see vital information live quantity and quality, features and also expiry date. It also includes instructions like safe handling and storage,” he added.
Meanwhile, with the dangers posed by consumption of unlabelled local gin, the Director General of Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said the agency had deepened civil and consumer education to prevent them from consuming unwholesome products, noting that emphasis must be centred on creating a clear means of identification for the registered brands to forestall a recurrence of that episode. She explained that the consumers must heed instruction given to them to avert unnecessary deaths.
