NAFDAC, SON and FCCPC, have been urged by the House of Representatives to collaborate with security agencies and state governments, to strengthen nationwide surveillance, inspection and enforcement operations against offenders of production, distribution and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and beverages across Nigeria
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to urgently intensify efforts to curb the production, distribution and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and beverages across Nigeria.
The House also urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), in collaboration with security agencies and state governments, to strengthen nationwide surveillance, inspection and enforcement operations against offenders.
The resolutions followed a motion on the “Urgent Need to Curb the Rising Production, Distribution and Circulation of Fake, Adulterated and Substandard Food and Drinks in Nigeria,” sponsored by Rep. Makki Abubakar Yalleman.
The lawmaker expressed concern over the growing circulation of unsafe food products and beverages, warning that the trend poses serious threats to public health and consumer safety.
According to the motion, access to safe, wholesome and quality food and beverages is essential to the health, well-being and productivity of Nigerians and remains a critical component of public health and consumer protection.
The House noted that standardised processing methods and proper hygiene practices were necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses arising from harmful bacteria, chemical residues, expired ingredients and physical impurities.
It also observed that compliance with established standards would enable Nigerian food businesses to access regional and international markets more easily, reduce the rejection of exported products and boost the economy.
The lawmakers cited recent enforcement operations as evidence of the growing challenge posed by counterfeit food and drinks.
These included the dismantling of illegal alcohol counterfeiting syndicates at Zamfara Plaza on Lagos Island by NAFDAC on April 22, 2026, and the raid on an illegal, unregistered fruit juice factory by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Badagry, Lagos State, on September 22, 2026.
The motion raised concerns that fake, adulterated and unregistered food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, beverages and bottled water were increasingly being produced, distributed and sold to unsuspecting consumers in communities across the country.
It further identified practices such as counterfeiting established brands, altering product labels and expiry dates, using inferior or contaminated raw materials, illegally reusing or refilling containers, and manufacturing products outside approved regulatory standards as major threats to public health.
“These practices pose severe life-threatening public health risks, including acute poisoning, cancer and damages to vital organs like kidney, lung, liver, heart etc,” the motion stated.
The House warned that children, elderly persons and other vulnerable groups were particularly exposed to the dangers associated with consuming unsafe food and beverages.
It expressed concern that the circulation of such products could contribute to foodborne illnesses, poisoning and other preventable health complications.
The lawmakers acknowledged the statutory responsibilities of NAFDAC in regulating food and bottled water, as well as the consumer protection and product safety mandate of the FCCPC.
They also recognised the complementary roles of SON and other relevant agencies in ensuring that products placed on the Nigerian market comply with prescribed safety and quality standards.
However, the House observed that misleading and deceptive product information remained a significant challenge, particularly in relation to production dates, expiry or best-before dates, batch numbers, manufacturers’ details and ingredient declarations.
It said that although existing laws and regulations provided a framework for dealing with unsafe and non-compliant products, stronger implementation, improved coordination among regulatory agencies, effective market surveillance and greater public awareness were needed to address the problem.
The motion further noted that the continued circulation of fake and substandard food and drinks despite the presence of regulatory and security agencies called for stronger legislative and executive action.
Consequently, the House urged the Federal Government to treat the production and circulation of counterfeit and substandard food and beverages as a matter of urgent national importance requiring sustained regulatory attention.
It called on NAFDAC, SON and FCCPC to work with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, state governments and other relevant agencies to intensify surveillance, inspections, product sampling, laboratory testing and enforcement operations nationwide.
The proposed operations are expected to cover manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers involved in the production or sale of fake and substandard food and drinks.
The House also resolved that its relevant committees, particularly those on Health, Industry, Customs, Standards and Consumer Protection, should engage the regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to assess the scale of the problem and determine the effectiveness of existing enforcement measures.
The committees are expected to report their findings to the House within four weeks to enable further legislative action.
In addition, the House mandated the relevant committees to periodically review the progress made by responsible agencies in combating fake and substandard food and beverages and report their findings within a reasonable period.
