Reps demand urgent action against fake, adulterated food and drinks

The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to intensify efforts to curb the production, distribution and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and drinks in Nigeria.

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The House made the call on Tuesday following the adoption of an urgent motion sponsored by Makki Yalleman (APC, Jigawa) during plenary.

Presenting the motion, Mr Yalleman said access to safe, wholesome and quality food and beverages was essential to the health, wellbeing and productivity of Nigerians and remained an important component of public health and consumer protection.

He said standardised processing and hygiene practices were necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria, chemical residues, expired ingredients and physical impurities.

According to him, adherence to food safety standards would also enable Nigerian food businesses to access regional and international markets, reduce the rejection of Nigerian exports and contribute to economic growth.

The lawmaker cited recent enforcement operations as evidence of the growing problem.

He referred to the dismantling of an illegal alcohol counterfeiting syndicate at Zamfara Plaza on Lagos Island by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on 22 April 2026.

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He also cited the raid on an illegal and unregistered fruit juice factory in Badagry, Lagos State, by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on 22 September 2026.

Mr Yalleman said the incidents highlighted the increasing production, distribution and sale of fake, adulterated, unregistered and substandard food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, beverages and bottled water consumed by Nigerians.

He warned that the activities posed serious risks to public health and could expose consumers to acute poisoning and other health complications, including cancer and damage to vital organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver and heart.

“Some unscrupulous manufacturers and distributors engage in practices such as counterfeiting established brands, altering labels and expiry dates, using inferior or contaminated raw materials, illegally reusing or refilling containers, and producing food and beverages outside approved regulatory standards thereby posing severe life-threatening public health risks, including acute poisoning, cancer and damages to vital organs like kidney, lung, liver, heart etc,” he said.

Mr Yalleman noted that NAFDAC is legally responsible for regulating, among other products, food and bottled water, while the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has statutory responsibilities relating to consumer protection and product safety.

He also acknowledged the complementary roles of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC and FCCPC in ensuring that products placed on the Nigerian market meet required safety and quality standards.

He however expressed concern over the continued circulation of products containing misleading or deceptive information, particularly on labels.

The lawmaker identified the falsification of production dates, expiry or best-before dates, batch numbers, manufacturer details and ingredient information as some of the practices requiring stronger regulatory attention.

According to the him, although existing laws and regulations provide a framework for dealing with unsafe and non-compliant products, stronger implementation, improved coordination among regulatory agencies, enhanced market surveillance and greater public awareness were required to tackle the problem effectively.

“With the presence of NAFDAC, SON, FCCPC, the Police, NSCDC, the increasing circulation of fake and substandard food and drinks is a very disturbing development which calls for more legislative and executive actions.”

He expressed concern that children, elderly people and other vulnerable groups were particularly exposed to the health risks associated with fake and substandard food and drinks.

He called for more effective and coordinated surveillance, inspection, enforcement and prosecution across the food and beverage supply chain.

Following the presentation of the motion, the House consequently resolved that the federal government should treat the production and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and beverages as a matter of urgent national importance requiring sustained regulatory attention.

It urged NAFDAC, SON and FCCPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, state governments and other relevant agencies, to intensify nationwide surveillance, inspection, sampling, laboratory testing and enforcement operations against manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers involved in the production or sale of fake and substandard food and drinks.

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The House also mandated its relevant committees, particularly those on Health, Industry, Customs, Standards and Consumer Protection, to engage NAFDAC, SON, FCCPC and other stakeholders to assess the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of existing enforcement measures.

The committees were directed to report their findings to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.

They were also mandated to periodically review the progress made by the relevant agencies in combating fake and substandard food and beverages and report their findings to the House.

The motion was adopted without debate.

Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the plenary, thereafter referred the motion to the Committees on Health Services; Industry; and Safety, Standards and Consumer Protection for further legislative action.