The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down an unhygienic depot and sealed a water-based drinks factory in Kaduna.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, the NAFDAC State Coordinator, Mr. Nasiru Mato, said the operation was part of the agency’s mandate to safeguard the health of consumers by intensifying surveillance on the manufacture, distribution and sale of regulated products.
Mato said that acting on credible intelligence, a team of regulatory officers from the Kaduna State office, led by him, uncovered a depot operating under poor sanitary conditions where yoghurt and flavored drinks were stored before distribution.
He said the situation was unacceptable and violated standard regulations, noting that the storage conditions made product contamination inevitable. Consequently, he said, the facility was shut down as a first line of sanction.
In a related development, Mato said a surveillance visit to a sachet water and water-based drinks manufacturer revealed that the systems and processes on site could not guarantee the quality, safety and wholesomeness of the products.
He said both Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) had been compromised, prompting the agency to place the facility on hold as an initial sanction.
Mato warned manufacturers of all classes of regulated products to strictly adhere to Standard Operating Procedures and Good Manufacturing Practices, stressing that violators would face the full wrath of the law.
