NAFDAC targets retailers as sachet alcohol ban enters new phase

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has begun a nationwide street-level crackdown on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and bottles below 200 millilitres, citing evidence that the prohibited formats remain a major source of alcohol for children and underage consumers.

The intensified enforcement, which commenced on Monday, will cover markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars, warehouses and distribution centres across the country. The operation marks a shift from targeting manufacturers to removing the products from the final points of sale.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye said enforcement officers would deploy seizures, intelligence gathering and sustained surveillance until the banned products were eliminated from circulation.

Adeyeye said research supporting the prohibition showed that 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage consumers obtained alcoholic beverages in sachets. The findings also indicated that 41.2 per cent of minors and 47.2 per cent of underage consumers purchased alcohol packaged in PET bottles.

“The bottom line is that almost 50 per cent of our children buy alcohol in sachets and bottles below 200ml,” she said.

NAFDAC boss clarified that the government had not prohibited alcohol consumption generally. She said the restriction was directed at small, inexpensive packages that make beverages with high alcohol content easily affordable, portable and accessible to children and young people.

“We are not against alcohol consumption itself. We are against the proliferation of high-alcohol products in small, inexpensive containers that make access easier for children and young people,” Adeyeye said.

She explained that NAFDAC was implementing the ban through a tiered strategy designed to cut off supply from production facilities before moving through the distribution chain.

The first phase began in January 2026 and concentrated on manufacturers. Prohibited products discovered in factories were evacuated and destroyed. The second phase, launched in July, widened the operation to distributors, retailers, bars, markets and motor parks.

Adeyeye said the exercise would continue for as long as the prohibited products remained available and would not end after a few enforcement operations.

“We are not expecting this to end next week or in two weeks’ time. Our enforcement continues,” she said.

She warned that manufacturers found producing or supplying alcoholic beverages in prohibited sizes would face heavy fines and the permanent closure of their factories.

“If you are a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages below 200ml and we find your product in the markets, you will be fined heavily, and the manufacturing facility will be closed down permanently,” she warned.

The enforcement followed the signing of an Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaking by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers and their member companies.

Under the agreement, manufacturers must immediately recall alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from distributors, warehouses and other locations along the supply chain. NAFDAC will verify the inventory and supervise the destruction of the recalled products, while manufacturers will bear the associated costs.

Facilities closed for violating the directive will remain shut until NAFDAC confirms that production lines used for the prohibited packages have been dismantled, permanently disabled or reconfigured.

Adeyeye said the three largest manufacturers, which account for approximately 80 per cent of the market, had complied with the directive within the preceding two weeks. She added that seven companies had fully satisfied the agency’s requirements.

According to her, the tiered approach is already reducing the availability of the products in the market.

“You start from the source, then go to the distributor, and then to the retailers. So if the source is getting drier, then it will be drier on the streets,” she said.

Companies that fail to comply risk remaining closed, being placed on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Watchlist and having their product registrations suspended or revoked. The agency may also initiate criminal prosecution where applicable.

Adeyeye urged members of the public to report anyone manufacturing, distributing or selling alcoholic beverages in sachets or bottles below 200ml through NAFDAC’s official communication channels or the agency’s nearest office.