The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised alarm over new counterfeiting in Nigeria, saying criminals now fake medicines, bottled water, toothpaste and herbal products.

South-West Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Isaac Kolawole, said this on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on the agency’s regulatory activities, consumer protection measures and compliance efforts.

Mr Kolawole said the development was more dangerous than fashion counterfeiting, as adulterated medicines and foods could cause severe health complications, treatment failures and potentially fatal consequences for consumers across affected communities.

According to him, NAFDAC, established by Decree No. 15 of 1993, amended by Decree No. 19 of 1999 and codified as Cap N1 in 2004, regulates food, drugs, cosmetics and chemicals.

He said the agency also has the mandate to combat counterfeit, expired and substandard regulated products while protecting consumers from associated health risks across Nigeria and strengthening regulatory compliance and safety.

The zonal director advised Nigerians to buy medicines from trusted pharmacies and avoid open-air drug markets when purchasing critical prescriptions, especially medicines requiring proper storage and professional guidance to ensure safety.

He urged consumers to check physical details such as poor print quality, missing batch numbers and unusual seals, and to use NAFDAC’s Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) where available to verify products safely.

“Read everything on the label carefully before usage and report suspicious items immediately if a common brand tastes or looks wrong. NAFDAC is customer-focused and agency-minded,” he said.

Mr Kolawole also gave updates on other regulatory activities, including product registration, rice fortification and trans-fatty acids, highlighting measures aimed at improving consumer protection and public health nationwide.

On registration timelines, he said NAFDAC registration currently takes 120 days for micro food products, 180 working days for small, medium and large food and cosmetics, and 240 days for drugs/vaccines.

He gave the breakdown for micro food products as 10 working days for document verification, 20 working days for inspection, 60 working days for laboratory analysis and 30 working days for approval.

On inspection scheduling, he explained that the vetting and inspection fee was generated and paid, after which the client selected an inspection date for approval by responsible officers before inspection was conducted.

Speaking on rice fortification, Mr Kolawole said with more than 90 per cent of Nigerians consuming rice, it remained an effective vehicle for delivering essential micronutrients at scale across households nationwide consistently.

“The rice remains the same. Micronutrients are added in measured quantities. Fortification improves nutrition without changing eating habits,” he said, explaining the nutritional benefits of the programme to consumers.

He said the initiative was aimed at tackling deficiencies in iron, zinc, folic acid, B vitamins and vitamin A, adding that the programme was approved in 2021 as public health intervention.

Mr Kolawole said the programme was currently voluntary but would eventually become mandatory, as authorities sought to improve nutritional outcomes through wider adoption of fortified rice products across Nigeria over time.

He said NAFDAC plans to strengthen its laboratories in Lagos and Maiduguri for micronutrient testing and promote the Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus (DFQT+) system for improved monitoring nationwide.

He added that rice mill owners can apply to NAFDAC for fortification certification, requiring a blender and premix containing iron as ferric pyrophosphate, zinc oxide, vitamins B1 and B12, and folic acid.

He said the certification process also requires inspection by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC, while importers are expected to present fortification certificates before their products enter the Nigerian market.

Earlier, the Ekiti State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Stella Dosunmu, expressed delight at the number of participants, describing it as evidence of stakeholders’ commitment to safeguarding public health and promoting growth.

She said the stakeholders’ engagement was designed to bridge the gap between regulatory requirements and business operations, while improving understanding and compliance among relevant stakeholders in Ekiti and supporting safer practices.

“We are here to deliberate on best manufacturing practices, hygienic food handling, the dangers of substandard and falsified medical products and the streamlined pathways for product registration,” she said.

In his goodwill message, Chief Executive Officer, Faforum Herbal Medicine, Samuel Fafure, urged the agency’s management to expand its workforce to enable it to carry out regulatory oversight more effectively.

The meeting was attended by members and executives of trade associations, technical groups, bakers’ associations, manufacturers, distributors and retailers from across the state.

(NAN)