The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed off a Chinese Supermarket in Wuse 2, Abuja, for allegedly selling expired products and products labelled in Chinese Language without the English translation of it as enshrined in NAFDAC’s regulations.
The Supermarket located at Azba Mall, 2 Durban Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, is owned and managed by Chinese nationals who claimed they were undergoing NAFDAC processes of getting NAFDAC license and also translating the labelling instructions into the English Language in accordance with NAFDAC’s regulations.
The Leader of the enforcement team, Pharm. Shaba Mohammed noted that the Agency had acted upon credible information about the violation of our regulations by the supermarket.
He said: “We carried out our due diligence to ascertain the claim. The Agency will continue with the investigation to unravel how those products got into the country in a commercial quantity with the outright violation of our labelling practice without being intercepted at the point of entry”.
He added that NAFDAC will extend its investigation to the warehouse where their goods are being kept because 90 per cent of the items found on their shelves are labelled in Chinese Language. This action is to stop them from selling those items to the public in order to guarantee public safety.
“Selling items labelled in foreign languages in Nigeria is actually a violation of our law. If you must sell anything labelled in either Arabic, Chinese or Indian language then you must have the English translation of it. What we found there, more than 90 per cent of them are actually in Chinese Language.”
“And you also find some Nigerians patronizing the supermarket. So, how are they able to read what they have bought? Not only that but when you look at the date markings, some of the items have expired and they are still on the shelves.
“Een if NAFDAC gave them Global Listing to import the items, the labelling ought to have been in the English Language. So, they can’t present to us any document from NAFDAC for which the items are in a foreign language. That is not acceptable. So, that is why we have to seal off the supermarket.
“We have to invite them and do a thorough investigation before we conclude the case. You can’t be here and then you just bring in anything. No, it doesn’t happen. You can’t have a country in a country.”
