Sachet Beverages Contain 30% Alcohol– NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Tuesday said that the alcoholic content in sachets, polyethylene terephthalate, and glass bottles of 200ml and below is about 30 per cent.

This was revealed by the Head of the Public Relations Office, NAFDAC, Christiana Obiazikwor in a statement.

The Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) an affiliate union of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had stormed the agency’s headquarters on Tuesday to demand a reversal of the existing ban on sachet beverages.

The agency had on February 1, 2024, commenced the enforcement of the ban on the importation, manufacture, and sale of pocket-size sachet alcoholic drinks.

The statement tagged, “What Nigerians should know about alcohol in sachet and less than 200 ml PET bottles” noted that the production of bigger bottles of alcohol was still ongoing.

The agency said, “NAFDAC did not ban alcohol production in bigger bottles. The Agency only banned alcohol in containers or packing that a child can easily conceal, i.e., sachet or PET bottles less than 200ml

“The alcoholic content in sachet or PET bottles less than 200ml is 30 per cent. Beer has four to eight per cent alcohol.

“The Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers and Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria signed an agreement with MOH and NAFDAC in December 2018 that they will phase out production of alcohol in sachet and PET bottles less than 200 ml by January 31, 2024. The agreement document is available. A five-year phase-out notice should be sufficient.”

Backing its decision for the ban, NAFDAC noted that Nigeria was one of the 193 Member States of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that reached a historical consensus on a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.