NAFDAC clears air on list of fake products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has disassociated itself from a viral list circulating on social media, purportedly containing fake, adulterated or substandard products in Nigeria.

The denouncement is contained in a statement to newsmen by the agency’s resident media consultant, Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Thursday.

The statement said the agency wished to make it categorically clear that the circulating list did not emanate from NAFDAC and should not be regarded as an official alert, recall or safety communication.

It stated that NAFDAC, as a responsible regulatory authority, does not make sweeping declarations about product safety or authenticity without appropriate regulatory processes, including investigation, sampling and necessary scientific laboratory verification.

“The agency’s regulatory communications are ordinarily specific and verifiable. Where a product or particular batch is found to be substandard, falsified, adulterated or otherwise unsafe, NAFDAC provides the relevant details.

“Where a product or particular batch is found to be substandard, NAFDAC communicates the appropriate regulatory action through its established official channels.”

The agency said such information followed established regulatory procedures for verification.

It said action would be communicated through official channels, ensuring relevant regulatory information remained verifiable and accessible to stakeholders and the public through proper NAFDAC communications.

“Consequently, members of the public are strongly advised to disregard the viral list in its entirety and to refrain from sharing or amplifying the unverified information.

“It is particularly important that Nigerians understand the difference between an allegation circulating on social media and an official regulatory finding.”

“A product cannot responsibly be declared fake or unsafe merely because its name or photograph appears on a social-media list,” the statement said, urging Nigerians to verify information through official sources.

It said NAFDAC’s position was necessary to protect consumers from unnecessary fear and confusion while ensuring legitimate businesses and manufacturers were not unfairly subjected to reputational and commercial damage.

The statement stated that if an unverified list containing numerous legitimate products were mistakenly accepted as an official NAFDAC declaration, consequences could extend beyond consumer anxiety and affect businesses.

It stated that the issue could also affect legitimate manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the wider pharmaceutical, food and consumer-products market, potentially causing avoidable disruption and reputational damage to them.

The statement said such misinformation could unnecessarily disrupt legitimate businesses, distort consumer behaviour and undermine confidence in properly regulated products, creating additional challenges for the industry and consumers.

It said NAFDAC remained committed to its statutory mandate of protecting the health of Nigerians by ensuring regulated products meet established standards of safety, quality and efficacy.

“The agency will continue to take appropriate enforcement action whenever its investigations and scientific assessments establish that a product requires regulatory intervention.

“The agency therefore urges members of the public, healthcare professionals, manufacturers, distributors and other stakeholders to rely on NAFDAC’s official communication channels for information concerning product alerts, recalls, withdrawals, suspensions and other regulatory actions.

“For the avoidance of doubt: the viral list did not emanate from NAFDAC. Members of the public are urged to disregard it in its entirety and not circulate it as an official NAFDAC publication.

“NAFDAC appreciates the vigilance of Nigerians in reporting suspected counterfeit, adulterated or substandard products,” it said.

The agency said such reports remained valuable regulatory intelligence and useful for investigations.

The statement said such reports remained valuable regulatory intelligence, but allegations must be subjected to proper investigation and scientific verification before definitive conclusions are reached, ensuring regulatory decisions are evidence-based.

It stated that NAFDAC Public Alerts served as a reference resource for consumers, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders, enabling them to identify suspicious products and avoid potential harm to consumers.

The statement said that NAFDAC issued product alerts when necessary, mopped up offensive products and destroyed the mopped items, in line with established regulatory procedures.

It stated that the agency remained firmly committed to protecting public health through continuous surveillance, enforcement, and transparent communication, while encouraging stakeholders to rely on verified information and official alerts.

“Members of the public are strongly encouraged to verify product information through NAFDAC’s official channels, to ensure accuracy and prevent misinformation.