The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has called on businesses to prioritise compliance with health and safety regulations, emphasising the importance of accurate branding and proper handling of regulated products.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of the Northwest Zone, Nantin Dadi, gave this charge during a panel session at the 2024 African Retail Congress recently held in Lagos.
“Every product has a law that regulates it, especially regulated products like processed foods, medicines, cosmetics, medical devices, packaged water, herbal products, and chemicals,” Dadi said.
He stressed the need for retailers to familiarise themselves with local and international regulations governing the manufacture, storage, and distribution of these products.
The NAFDAC official warned that failure to comply could result in significant financial losses.
“Just one officer who knows the law can mess up your whole distribution network by quoting one law, closing you down, and shutting you out for a week. You could lose N20m,” he added.
Dadi advised retailers to engage in regulatory mapping when expanding into new markets, advising “In any environment you expand into, you must identify all relevant regulators, from NAFDAC to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria. Understanding their requirements will help you operate efficiently and avoid conflicts.”
Dadi urged businesses to be compliant with regulations, highlighting that many businesses face sanctions for poor storage practices and selling unregistered products.
He cited an example, saying, “If you’re selling yoghurt without a fridge and NAFDAC comes around, you will pay an administrative charge for poor storage. The product will also be seized to protect consumers from contamination.”
The agency also expressed concern about false claims and misleading labels on products.
“Your label is the first contact between the customer and the product,” Dadi noted. “If you claim that a product cures all diseases without evidence, it will be removed. NAFDAC ensures that consumers are protected from such misleading information.”
The official urged businesses to use NAFDAC’s resources, including their website, to understand and adhere to regulations.
“There are ordinary citizens who are depending on us to ensure that what you put inside there is exactly what you say it is.
“You are not trying to couch it with some language to help you market. Meanwhile, people are buying the product and it says this product has protein inside. The protein content is 68 per cent and we tested it. It was only 21 per cent. You will change it. Because that’s not the truth,” Dadi explained.
