The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated adulterated drinks estimated at N5 billion at a market notorious for faking in Aba, Abia State.
The agency on Tuesday announced that an aggressive raid was relaunched to shut down the Cemetery market following reports of continued production of substandard wines and beverages originally produced abroad.
Some fruit and alcoholic wine brands including Seaman Schnapps, Henessy, Four Cousins, Carlo Rossi, Jenney, Chelsea London Dry Gin, Schnapp Dry Gin, McDowells, Black Labels, Gordons, Martell, Campari, and Smirnoff Ice among others were found being adulterated in the local factories.
Over 240 such factories were uncovered.
“The shops turned factories are very filthy, using water from unhygienic sources, harmful chemicals, saccharin, colouring, dirty recycled bottles, and cloned packaging materials of other brands. The adulteration of alcoholic beverages by criminal elements in the country is done by mixing of cheaper sources of sugar and starch besides grapes or fruit, among other harmful chemicals unsuitable for human consumption,” NAFDAC stated in an official release signed by Mojisola Adeyeye, the director general.
“Over 1,500 cartons of fake and substandard products were destroyed during the operation. The street value of the confiscated and destroyed fake products in 2023 is estimated at over N750,000,000. The estimated value of products mopped up during the December 15, 2024, operation is N5 billion.”
Apart from wines, expired carbonated drinks such as Fanta, Coca-Cola, Schweppes, Lacasera, Sprite, Super Commando Energy Drink, Feyrouz, and Amstel Malta were being revalidated.
Most Nigerian consumers face difficulty distinguishing these deepfakes from authentic products, falling as easy prey.
NAFDAC stated that the market was first sealed in 2023 to block the circulation of these products.
It took the collaboration of the military; the Department of State Security and the Nigeria Police to repeat the raid on a bigger scale this time.
According to the US National Center for Biotechnology Information analysis of food fraud, adulteration of food is the intentional deterioration of the quality of food offered for sale by either the addition or substitution of an inferior substance or by the omission of a valuable ingredient.
Its implications for public health include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, headache, cancer, anemia, muscle paralysis, brain damage, stomach disorders, joint pain, liver disease, breathing difficulties, swelling, cardiac arrest, and glaucoma among others.
In carbonated drinks, for instance, the addition of aluminum leaves can lead to asthma and lung diseases according to the Centre.
To safeguard the health of the nation, NAFDAC assured the public that it would continue its efforts.
The agency urges the general public to report any suspected fake or substandard regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office.
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