NAFDAC Lists Conditions For Reopening Companies Manufacturing Satchet Alcohol
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says factories closed as a result of producing sachet alcohol and PET/plastic bottles below 200ml would need to meet certain conditions before they are reopened.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye announced this a press conference in Lagos on Monday.
Adeyeye explained that the ban of sachet alcohol and PET/plastic bottles below 200ml officially took effect on 1 January 2026, with the goal to reduce underage drinking, alcohol abuse, and easy access to highly concentrated alcoholic beverages.
She said the full enforcement was backed by independent research that underscored the devastating effect of underage drinking and revealed that 47.2% of minors and 48.8% of the underage procure drinks in sachets, while 41.2% of minors and 47.2% of the underage procure drinks in PET/plastic bottles.
The NAFDAC Boss added that the agency was not against alcohol consumption itself but against the proliferation of high-alcohol products in small, inexpensive containers that made access easier for children and young people.
According to her, NAFDAC in July 2026
launched a second-tier nationwide mop-up operations across markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars, and distribution centres to seize remaining sachet alcohol and sub-200ml PET alcoholic beverages.
The banned pack sizes were however found at distribution centres, a violation of the ban. This led to closure of factories and arrest of staff of companies who were still found to be producing sachet alcohol.
Consequently, “the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) and Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) were required by NAFDAC to sign Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaken on behalf of their members that they would desist from manufacturing of alcohol in sachet and pet bottles less than 200ml before their facilities could be reopened.
“As part of the undertaking, affected manufacturers are required to immediately commence a nationwide recall of all alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from distributors, warehouses, and other points within the supply chain and submit periodic compliance reports to NAFDAC.
“NAFDAC has also imposed investigative charges on defaulting companies found to have violated regulatory directives relating to the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages in prohibited package sizes”, she said.
Adeyeye informed that affected companies were required to settle the applicable charges within the stipulated period and comply fully with all regulatory directives issued by the Agency.
“The Agency wishes to emphasize that all recalled alcoholic products shall be subjected to inventory verification and destruction under NAFDAC supervision in accordance with the terms of the enforcement undertaking. Manufacturers shall bear the full cost of such destruction exercises.
“Furthermore, before any sealed facility involved in the production of alcoholic beverages in sachets or PET bottles below 200ml can be reopened, NAFDAC will require satisfactory evidence that the production lines used for the prohibited package sizes have been dismantled, permanently disabled, or reconfigured to prevent the manufacture and packaging of alcoholic products in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml”, she said.
The Agency therefore warned that companies that fail to comply with the terms of the undertaking risk severe regulatory sanctions, including continued closure of facilities, placement on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Watchlist, suspension or revocation of product registrations, criminal prosecution where applicable, and other measures permitted by law.
NAFDAC also urged members of the public to report the sale, distribution, or manufacture of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml through NAFDAC’s official communication channels or the nearest NAFDAC OFFICE.
