FG Clamp-Down on Alcohol Sachets, Pet Bottles
Federal Government has clamped-down on the packaging and sale of Alcohol Sachets and Pet Bottles to reduce access and consumption of alcohol in the population.
The latest action which was announced by Minister for Health Professor Isaac Adewole on his Twitter handle, takes immediate effect with directive that facilities producing unregistered alcoholic products throughout the country be closed down
Professor Adewole on his twitter handle said, “All facilities producing unregistered alcoholic products shall be closed down. Unregistered products shall be eliminated from circulation and No new company will be allowed to register alcohol sachets and small volume PET bottles”.
According to Adewole, the decision to deal decisively and strictly on the trending pattern of packaging and selling alcohol drinks in sachets and pet bottles was borne out of the findings by a federal committee set up last December 19 which indicted the abuse and large consumption of alcohol among young adults as responsible for rising case of social vices among others.
The Minister noted that the committee was very concerned about the availability of unusually high volume of alcohol sachets and pet bottles which could be seen all over the country to the extent that under aged persons now have access to it.
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He said with the findings of the committee, the ministry is taking immediate steps to checkmate the easy availability of alcohol drink in sachet, and has therefore mandated the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as the management of Consumers Protection Council (CPC) to carry out regular monitoring and submit biannual reports to the ministry
The Ministry of Health is also directed to write all state commissioners of Health and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, (ALGON) on the enforcement of existing edicts on the sale and marketing of alcohol in the country.
Adewole also disclosed that with effect from January 31, 2020, government has approved the downward reduction in the alcohol content of sachets and small PET bottles produced in the country from 85% to 50% while it will phase-out the production of alcohol in sachets and small; volume pet bottles with effect from January 2024
The ban on packaging and sale of alcohol sachets has been effected in many other African countries before now.
Some of the countries where there are bans on production, packaging and sales of alcohol sachet include: Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroun, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda.
The production of alcohol sachets have been described as one of the leading causes to high dependence of alcohol among young adults as well as high incidences of crimes perpetrated under the influence of alcohol.
