The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disowned a viral list circulating on social media purporting to identify products in the Nigerian market as fake, adulterated or substandard.
NAFDAC, in a statement on Thursday by its Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, urged Nigerians to disregard the list, warning that spreading the unverified information could cause unnecessary panic and inflict reputational and commercial damage on legitimate businesses.
The agency said the list did not emanate from NAFDAC and should not be regarded as an official regulatory alert, recall notice or safety communication.
The viral list, containing names of several widely consumed products, including Cowbell, Peak Milk, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Lacasera, Hollandia Yoghurt and various rice brands, as well as medicines and cosmetics, has long generated public concern.
However, NAFDAC officials examining the list found that it appears to combine different NAFDAC regulatory actions from different years and categories. Some products or specific versions have previously been subject to genuine counterfeit or falsification alerts, while others were recalled, found to be unregistered or identified as substandard.
NAFDAC previously warned about counterfeit Cowbell “Our Milk” sachets and counterfeit versions of popular beverages and milk products, including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Peak and Cowbell, following enforcement operations. The alerts, however, concerned specific counterfeit products and did not amount to a declaration that the genuine brands themselves were fake.
Similarly, NAFDAC has issued alerts over specific falsified or counterfeit medicines, including Postinor-2, Noristerat, Cikatem and Aflotin, while other medicines on the viral list were subject to recalls or quality-related regulatory action.
The agency had also recently pushed back against online claims involving allegedly fake or adulterated food products, stressing that social media allegations alone cannot establish the safety or quality status of a product and that suspected cases require proper investigation and scientific verification.
NAFDAC’s latest clarification comes amid heightened public concern over counterfeit and substandard products, following widespread social media discussions and reports about fake food, medicines, beverages and other consumer goods in Nigerian markets.
NAFDAC said it does not declare products fake, adulterated or unsafe without following appropriate regulatory procedures, including investigation, sampling and, where necessary, scientific and laboratory verification.
It said its regulatory communications are specific and verifiable, adding that where a product or particular batch is found to be substandard, falsified, adulterated or otherwise unsafe, it provides relevant details and communicates the appropriate regulatory action through its established official channels.
“NAFDAC’s position is also necessary to protect consumers from unnecessary fear and confusion while ensuring that legitimate businesses and manufacturers are not unfairly subjected to reputational and commercial damage,” the agency said.
It warned that accepting an unverified list containing numerous legitimate products as an official NAFDAC declaration could have consequences beyond consumer anxiety.
According to the agency, such misinformation could affect manufacturers, distributors and retailers, disrupt legitimate businesses, distort consumer behaviour and undermine confidence in properly regulated products.
NAFDAC further advised Nigerians to distinguish between allegations circulating on social media and official regulatory findings, stressing that a product cannot responsibly be declared fake or unsafe merely because its name or photograph appears on a social media list.
The agency urged members of the public, healthcare professionals, manufacturers, distributors and other stakeholders to rely on its official communication channels for information concerning product alerts, recalls, withdrawals, suspensions and other regulatory actions.
“For the avoidance of doubt: the viral list did not emanate from NAFDAC. Members of the public are urged to disregard it in its entirety and not circulate it as an official NAFDAC publication,” the agency said.
NAFDAC said it would continue to take enforcement action whenever investigations and scientific assessments establish that a product requires regulatory intervention.
The agency appreciated Nigerians for reporting suspected counterfeit, adulterated or substandard products, noting that such reports provide valuable regulatory intelligence.
It, however, noted that allegations must be subjected to proper investigation and scientific verification before definitive conclusions are reached.
