NAFDAC to ban alcohol in satchels, small bottles next year

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has given a December 2025 deadline for the total ban of the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small glass or PET bottles below 200 millilitres.

The Director General (DG) of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye,  said the full enforcement of the ban will begin by January 2026, asserting that there will be no further extension of the moratorium, which has undergone several shifts, with the last one occurring in December 2024.

The move, backed by the Senate and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, according to her, is aimed at protecting public health and shielding children, adolescents, and young adults from the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.

According to Adeyeye, the ban becomes imperative considering the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content beverages in small, cheap, and easily concealable packaging which has worsened addiction rates among young Nigerians and commercial drivers. 

This, she said, has fuelled social vices including domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and other forms of insecurity.

“This ban is not punitive, it is protective. We cannot continue to sacrifice the well-being of Nigerians, especially our children, for short-term economic gain. The health of the nation is its true wealth,” she said

She clarified that the regulation affects only two categories of packaging, spirit drinks in sachets and small glass bottles with a capacity of less than 200 ml, while calling on all manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to comply fully with the December 2025 deadline, warning that no further extensions would be granted.

The DG said the decision to phase out small-volume alcohol packaging dates back to December 2018 when NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and industry stakeholders, including the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), signed a five-year agreement to end the practice by January 2024.

“However, the moratorium was extended to December 2025 to give manufacturers time to exhaust old stock and reconfigure production lines.