In a crucial step to protect consumer safety, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) shut down a Chinese-owned supermarket located at Azba Mall, 2 Durban Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, on Monday.
The supermarket was accused of selling expired products and items labelled in Chinese without English translations, contrary to NAFDAC’s regulations.
Commenting on the situation, Pharm. Shaba Mohammed, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement at the agency, condemned the supermarket’s practices as a clear disregard for Nigerian food safety regulations. He stated, “Offering products labelled exclusively in foreign languages without English translations violates our rules.
Over 90 percent of the items on their shelves have labels in Chinese, making it difficult for Nigerians to comprehend what they are purchasing.”
The enforcement team responded to a tip and verified the claims prior to taking measures. “We received reliable information regarding the violations and acted quickly. During our inspection, we discovered many expired items on the shelves, as well as a number of incorrectly labelled products,” Mohammed stated.
NAFDAC has also initiated an investigation to find out how a significant amount of mislabelled goods managed to enter the country undetected. “We will also examine their warehouse to make sure these harmful products are taken out of circulation,” Mohammed stated.
The Chinese nationals running the supermarket asserted that they were working on obtaining a NAFDAC license and translating product labels into English. Nevertheless, NAFDAC rejected these justifications, stating, “Regardless of whether they receive a Global Listing for imports, labeling must adhere to our standards. We cannot permit a scenario that puts consumers at risk for health issues,” Mohammed stressed.
In defense of its regulatory mandate, NAFDAC vowed to take necessary actions to protect the public. “You can’t operate in Nigeria and disregard our laws. You can’t have a country within a country,” Mohammed concluded.
The supermarket remains closed as NAFDAC continues its investigations, with promises to hold those responsible accountable.
