NAFDAC alcohol sachet ban targets high-strength drinks in small packs, citing serious public health risks and early alcohol exposure for children

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Tuesday explained that its enforcement of a ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and in PET or glass bottles below 200 millilitres was driven by serious public health concerns, particularly the risk of early alcohol exposure among children.

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The explanation was given by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, in a video shared on the agency’s official X handle, where she addressed widespread public debate surrounding the policy.

Adeyeye said the NAFDAC alcohol sachet ban was not targeted at adult consumption but aimed at protecting minors from high-concentration alcohol that is cheap, easily accessible and often consumed without adequate supervision.

“I’m not opposed to use of alcohol for adults,” she said. “Adults’ physiological makeup is more matured to handle alcohol. But children are not small adults. Their systems are not developed to handle alcohol exposure.”

She warned that early exposure could cause lasting damage, stressing that some sachet alcoholic drinks contain alcohol levels as high as 43 percent, far exceeding that of beer, which typically ranges between six and eight percent.

“You can drink two sachets that are 10 times more than beer,” Adeyeye said, describing the strength of some products as dangerously deceptive.

The NAFDAC chief traced the policy’s origins to years of consultations with industry stakeholders and regulators, noting that the issue was first formally discussed in 2017.

She said a five-year moratorium was agreed in 2018 to allow manufacturers time to adjust their business models and phase out sachet alcohol and drinks below 200 millilitres.

According to her, the agreement involved NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, and the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers.

Adeyeye said enforcement initially began on February 1, 2024, but was paused to allow further consultations. She added that an additional one-year extension was approved in December 2024, pushing full enforcement to the end of 2025.

She also cautioned that even adults face risks when consuming high-strength alcohol in unsafe settings, noting how easily sachet alcohol can be accessed and abused.

The renewed enforcement follows a November 11, 2025 announcement by NAFDAC to implement the ban in line with a Senate directive.

However, the decision sparked protests by civil society groups and workers in the alcohol manufacturing sector, who warned of potential job losses and wider economic impact.

Labour unions representing food and beverage workers claimed that up to five million Nigerians could be affected directly and indirectly by the policy, staging demonstrations at NAFDAC’s Lagos office.

Adeyeye maintained that the ban is rooted in scientific evidence and international commitments, referencing a 2010 World Health Assembly resolution signed by more than 183 countries, including Nigeria, to reduce children’s access to alcohol.

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“Children cannot handle alcohol the way adults can. Their organs are still growing,” she said. “Adults can make their own choices, but children must be protected. That is why we are enforcing this ban.”