NAFDAC confiscates fake hot drinks worth N3.6million in Enugu

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has confiscated fake hot drinks worth over N3.6 million during a raid of markets in Enugu State.

The Agency also sealed five shops at the Gariki market, in Enugu-South Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the exercise, the Enugu zonal head of NAFDAC, Pharm Udoekpo Ekpo, said it was aimed at sensitizing the traders to ensure that they begin to adhere strictly to products that are of good quality.

He added that it equally provided opportunity to mop up what is considered as fake and substandard products that are being sold to unsuspecting buyers in the market.

He said: “For today’s exercise, we targeted the hot drinks, and what we are trying to do is to mop up all the unregistered products that are suspected to be faked and unwholesome products that are not to be consumed by the people”.

On why the products were confiscated even though most of them had NAFDAC numbers, Ekpo noted that dully registered and licensed products that were known to be fast moving in the market, were rapidly been faked by greedy elements.

“The tendencies are that they stay at their backyard to package such fake products.

“They have NAFDAC registration number, but you can be sure there are other parameters- like the place of manufacture, full address of the manufacturer and the label. So, in our partnership with these companies whose products are being faked, these clues help us a lot”, he observed.

He urged the general public to always give useful information that would lead to the arrest of those involved in such illegal activity.