The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the growing counterfeiting of medicines, bottled water, toothpaste and herbal products in Nigeria, warning that such products could pose serious health risks.
NAFDAC South-West Zonal Director, Dr Isaac Kolawole, raised the alarm on Wednesday, September 23, in Ado-Ekiti during a stakeholders’ engagement on regulatory activities, consumer protection and compliance. He said adulterated medicines and food products could cause treatment failure, severe health complications and, in some cases, death.
Kolawole advised Nigerians to purchase medicines from trusted pharmacies and avoid open-air drug markets, particularly for critical prescriptions. He urged consumers to examine labels for poor print quality, missing batch numbers and unusual seals, and to use NAFDAC’s Mobile Authentication Service where available to verify products.
He also disclosed that NAFDAC’s registration timelines currently range from 120 days for micro food products to 180 working days for small, medium and large food and cosmetics businesses, while drugs and vaccines could take up to 240 days. He said the agency was also strengthening regulatory measures covering rice fortification, trans-fatty acids and product traceability.
On rice fortification, Kolawole said the programme was aimed at addressing deficiencies in nutrients including iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamins. He said NAFDAC planned to strengthen laboratory capacity and expand digital monitoring to improve compliance and consumer protection.
The stakeholders’ meeting brought together manufacturers, distributors, retailers, trade associations, bakers and other industry representatives. Ekiti State NAFDAC Coordinator, Mrs Stella Dosunmu, said the engagement was intended to improve understanding of regulatory requirements and promote safer manufacturing and food-handling practices.
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