Combating Counterfeits: How Technology Can Empower NAFDAC to Crush Fake Products in Nigeria.
Nigerians are thrown into panic mode, following the unveiling of adulterated wines and soft drinks in circulation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC).
Some Nigerians, who spoke to our correspondents have expressed worry over the damage these adulterated products would have done to their organs, unknowingly to them.
Recall that NAFDAC recently unveiled a list of adulterated products in circulation, especially different kinds of wine from a wide variety of brands ranging from Seaman Schnapps, Henessy, Four Cousins, Carlo Rossi, Jenney, Chelsea London Dry Gin, Schnapp Dry Gin, McDowells, Black Labels, Gordons, Martell, Campari, Smirnoff ice, Eva Non-Alcoholic Drink, Evra Non-Alcoholic Drink, Cartel, and others.
There was also date revalidation for expired products like Peak milk, Powdered milk, Ketchups, Yoghurt, Coca Cola products, packaging of fake and substandard products, which are later sold to unsuspecting members of the public for consumption.
NAFDAC said it raided over 240 shops turned factories where the harmful products were being produced and marketed, adding that the shops turned factories were very filthy, using water from very unhygienic sources, harmful chemicals, saccharin, colouring, dirty recycled bottles, and cloned packaging materials of other brands.
Following this, a lot of Nigerians have expressed their fears, as majority of them claimed they have been consuming some of these fake products.
A businesswoman in Lagos, Mr Agatha Onome, said she has been buying milk at the market, unknowingly to her that they were fake. “I just went to check the milk I have at home. I noticed that the expiration date was changed.”
When asked how she was able to identify the fake milk, she said, “I noticed there was a date written underneath the expiration date. I was so scared when I discovered it. I could not get my head around the fact that I may have been consuming fake milk for years now. May God have mercy on us,” she lamented.
A banker who spoke to LEADERSHIP anonymously confirmed that the dark soy sauce that she has been using for months is fake. “This may be the reason why some of us, who don’t drink, smoke or eat unhealthy, are coming down with chronic diseases,” she lamented.
Also, Nigerians have voiced their anger via various social media platforms. For instance, @chinonso_nzeh said, “Cancer, Kidney and liver problems due to fake products? It is not funny. It is rather sad and extremely terrifying if you think deeply about it.”
@Timi_ICT, said ever since the fake products have been exposed, he has stuck to just water. “With this, there will be no reason to identify the original from the fake,” he posited.
@EnyinwaDaddy added, “The last few days on social media has been about unraveling fake products in our Nigerian markets. That’s no news, because we have always lived in a society of adulteration and the display of surprise in our faces should be considered as entertainment.
“From fake food products to fake beers, soda, pills, injections the list is quite long and the hazards of these things are enormous. But I am not even concerned about that right now. Have we paused to think in the direction of the amount of unhealthy so called “Organic body creams, serums and soaps in the market?
“Assuming we are ignorance, here are some side effects of skin bleaching/using harmful chemicals, which includes high blood pressure; fatigue; light sensitivity; numbness; neurologic symptoms like tremors, memory loss, and irritability; kidney failure; lung damage and cancer, among others.
“Although I am pretty sure we know all this but we are consciously enabling the produce and sales of these products. The fight against fake, unchecked commodities in our markets is a long one and I sincerely hoping we are braced.”
Nigerians have therefore called on NAFDAC to deploy Application that would be compatible to iOS and Android phones, to enable people easily identify the original from the fake products, as effort to allay the fears of Nigerians.
@ShwagDr said, “I think NAFDAC should look into creating an app that would be compatible with iOS and Android phones, where people can check and recheck the NAFDAC numbers on products they want to purchase.”
Meanwhile, the director-general of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, has blamed the menace of unwholesome products in the market on illiteracy, poverty and economic hardship.
However, Adeyeye said the agency had developed a device to check the authenticity of a product, saying “If you have a smart phone, you can actually scan the back code on the product.
She said “It may not give you all that you need but it will give you an indication of where that product is from.
“That doesn’t mean the problem will disappear because most of these problems are tied to poverty, illiteracy and economy . About 50 percent of Nigerians are illiterates, even those who are educated don’t read labels some times.”
She has, therefore, tasked consumers on scrutinisimg branded drinks to distinguish them from counterfeits before consuming them.
She warned that drinking adulterated alcohol can cause nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness, and dizziness, blue tinged or pale skin, irregular or slow breathing, low body temperature, unconsciousness or passing out, kidney and liver failure or even death.
“Methanol, a substance which can be used in fake vodka, may cause permanent blindness. World Health Organisation (WHO) in their Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health estimated that more than three million people died all over the world as a result of alcohol poisoning.
“Furthermore, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ascertained that one of every 10 cancer cases in Nigeria can be traced to Alcohol and 4.7 percent of overall cancer cases in Nigeria in 2019 can be attributed to consumption of adulterated alcohol,” she disclosed.
“NAFDAC wishes to advice that the members of the public should shine their eyes during this yuletide season. We are using this medium to appeal to Nigerians to buy only NAFDAC registered drinks from reputable and licenced retailers, bars and supermarkets.
“If the product is being sold well below its normal price, or doesn’t seem to include normal taxes on liquors, then it is probably fake. Check for poor quality packaging, spelling mistakes and unusually shaped bottles. Look for the contact information and address of the manufacturer. If it is missing, the alcohol is fake.
“Inspect the seal on the bottle. If the seal is broken or damaged, then the contents might have been interfered with and are not safe to drink. Check for fake bar codes. If you have an app on your mobile that scans bar codes, scan it and see if it’s listed as the correct product and beware of bad smells! If it smells like paint stripper or nail polish remover, then it probably is!”
She assured that NAFDAC will continue to ensure that the level of counterfeit products nationwide is brought to the nearest minimum so that Nigerians will continue to consume only healthy and safe products.
“We wish to reiterate that in line with our mandate to rid the county of fake and substandard products, we shall be on the trail of these evil counterfeiters, and bring them to book. The public is enjoined to report any suspicious activity of illegal producers of adulterated products or similar activities to the nearest NAFDAC office nationwide,” Adeyeye appealed.
