The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to make the production and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and beverages a national priority, urging sustained regulatory action to protect consumers.

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) to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, state governments and other relevant agencies to intensify nationwide surveillance and enforcement against offenders.

The lawmakers called for increased inspections, product sampling, laboratory testing, and enforcement operations targeting manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers involved in producing or selling unsafe and substandard food and beverages.

They also directed relevant House committees to assess the scale of the problem and evaluate the effectiveness of existing enforcement measures against fake and substandard food, drinks and drugs.

The committees are expected to submit their findings to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.

The House also called for periodic reviews of the progress relevant agencies have made in tackling fake and substandard food and beverages, with agencies expected to report their findings within a reasonable period.

Presenting the motion, the Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Abubakar Maki Yalleman, said access to safe, wholesome, quality food and beverages was essential to Nigerians’ health, well-being, and productivity.

He described food safety as a critical component of public health and consumer protection.

Yalleman explained that standardised food processing and hygiene practices could prevent foodborne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria, chemical residues, expired ingredients and physical contaminants.

He added that compliance with food safety standards would enable Nigerian food businesses to access regional and international markets, reduce the rejection of exported products and contribute to economic growth.

The lawmaker cited recent enforcement operations, including NAFDAC’s dismantling of illegal alcohol counterfeiting syndicates at Zamfara Plaza on Lagos Island on April 22, 2026, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ raid on an illegal, unregistered fruit juice factory in Badagry, Lagos State, on September 22, 2026.

He expressed concern over the growing production, distribution, and sale of fake, adulterated, unregistered, and substandard food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, beverages, and bottled water consumed by Nigerians.

He said the circulation of such products exposes consumers to potentially serious health complications, underscoring the need for stronger regulatory oversight and coordinated enforcement.

He alleged, “Some unscrupulous manufacturers and distributors engage in practices such as counterfeiting established brands, altering labels and expiry dates, using inferior or contaminated raw materials, illegally reusing or refilling containers, and producing food and beverages outside approved regulatory standards, thereby posing severe life-threatening public health risks, including acute poisoning, cancer and damage to vital organs like the kidney, lung, liver, heart.”

He said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is established by law to regulate, among other products, food and bottled water, while the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has statutory responsibilities relating to consumer protection and product safety.

He stressed that while the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission FCCPC, in exercising their complementary roles, are doing their best in ensuring that products placed on the Nigerian market for consumers meet the required standards and safety requirements, there are growing concerns about the circulation and sale of consumer products with misleading and deceptive information in respect of their products, especially on their labels, including product information such as production dates, expiry or best-before dates, batch numbers, manufacturer details and ingredient information.

He said that while existing laws and regulations provide a basis for addressing unsafe and non-compliant products, stronger implementation, better coordination and synergy among regulatory agencies, improved market surveillance, and greater public awareness are needed to effectively respond to this menace plaguing our society.

He expressed concern that the increasing circulation of fake and substandard food and drinks poses serious risks to public health, particularly for children, the elderly and other vulnerable members of society, and may contribute to food-borne illnesses, poisoning and other preventable health problems.

Also disturbed that, with the presence of NAFDAC, SON, FCCPC, the Police, and NSCDC, the increasing circulation of fake and substandard food and drinks is a very disturbing development which calls for more legislative and executive actions.

He stressed the need for more effective, efficient and better-coordinated, result-oriented surveillance, inspection, enforcement and timely prosecution throughout the food and beverage supply chain to rid the country of counterfeit and substandard products. (The Nation)