The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has charged supermarket owners to ensure that products sold to consumers are safe and comply with global listing guidelines and regulatory standards.
The Director of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Mr Chukwuma Oligbu, gave the charge at a stakeholders’ sensitization workshop organized for supermarket owners in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Oligbu said the workshop was designed to sensitize supermarket operators on NAFDAC regulations, compliance requirements and consumer safety.
“This workshop will also strengthen partnerships between regulators and operators and promote compliance with NAFDAC regulations,” he said.
According to him, supermarkets play a critical role in ensuring that safe, quality and regulated products reach the public.
The NAFDAC zonal director urged supermarket owners to adhere strictly to regulatory requirements and best operational practices.
He stressed that NAFDAC’s regulatory oversight was not intended to hinder business growth, but to protect public health and promote ethical business operations.
Oligbu further advised stakeholders to source and store products in line with approved global listings and ensure their staff were adequately trained on regulatory guidelines and operational standards.
Speaking at the workshop, a breast milk nutrition expert from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Prof. Alice Nte, highlighted regulations prohibiting the promotion or advertisement of breast milk substitutes and infant formula in supermarkets.
Nte emphasized the importance of breastfeeding, noting that breast milk helps protect newborns against childhood diseases and infections, while also reducing the risk of certain cancers in breastfeeding mothers.
She urged supermarket owners to comply with NAFDAC regulations to safeguard consumer health and wellbeing.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, NAFDAC South-South Zone, Mrs Riter Chukwuma, educated participants on global product listing guidelines.
Chukwuma emphasized the need for strict adherence to regulatory standards to avoid sanctions, including the confiscation of non-compliant imported products.
