NAFDAC alerts on revalidated expired yoghurt, fake wines

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday alerted the public on the circulation of revalidated expired yoghurt, unregistered wines and spirits in the market.

Director-General of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhii, who disclosed these at a briefing on the activities of the agency in the past week in Lagos, said already the agency had launched investigation into the alteration of the expiry date of the yoghurt known as Dunone Ultra Mel Yoghurt.

According to NAFDAC, a firm tampered with the expiry date of March 2015 of the yoghurt by carefully altering the last number in the date to read March 2016.

Announcing that the suspects had been arrested by the agency, Orhii said NAFDAC was working to get the source of the product and bring the perpetrators to book.

He said: “The public is, hereby, informed that the validity of yoghurt is six months. Buyers and consumers should be watchful of processed foods and always collect receipts upon purchase of any item.”

Counterfeit wines, spirits

Meanwhile, the agency has intercepted a truckload of various suspected counterfeit and unregistered wines and spirits belonging to a businessman (names withheld) along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Orhii said the most worrisome thing was that the importer used official government number plate, OGFZA (Regd.No.RV885FZE) assigned to Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, to deceive security operatives, adding that the interception was made possible by vigilant officers of the agency.

On examination, he said, the truck was found to contain counterfeit and unregistered wines and spirits (J&P Wine, Red Label, Villiera Fired Earth Wine and Jelzin Assorted Flavours).

Others are JP Chernet Wine, Cask and Cream, E and J Brey, among others.

He, however, disclosed that the agency had concluded plans to represent the agency’s Anti-Counterfeit Bill to the eighth Assembly with a view to getting stiffer punishments for counterfeiters of registered products.

Orhii said the new bill is proposing lifetime jail for convicted counterfeiters, confiscation of their assets and the use of some of the confiscated assets to compensate victims.