NAFDAC Seals Chinese Supermarket in Abuja Over Sale of Expired Products
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down a Chinese-owned supermarket in Abuja for allegedly selling expired products with labels exclusively in Chinese, violating the country’s food safety regulations.
In a statement released on Tuesday, NAFDAC confirmed that the supermarket, located at Azba Mall, 2 Durban Street, Wuse 2, is managed by Chinese nationals. The management claimed they were in the process of obtaining a NAFDAC license and translating product labels into English to meet the agency’s regulatory requirements.
Pharm. Shaba Mohammed, Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, led the operation following credible reports about regulatory breaches at the supermarket. He explained that the agency had verified these claims before taking action.
“We conducted due diligence to verify the claims,” said Mohammed. “Our findings confirmed that the products sold were in violation of labeling regulations, and we are now focusing on the warehouse where these goods were stored.”
During the inspection, NAFDAC discovered that over 90 percent of the products on the shelves were labeled only in Chinese, with no English translations provided. Mohammed emphasized that this violates Nigerian law, which mandates that products must be labeled in English or, at the very least, include an English translation if labeled in foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, or Hindi.
“This is not just a labeling issue. Some of the products were expired and still being sold. This poses a significant risk to public safety,” he said.
The agency also expressed concern that Nigerian customers would be unable to properly understand product information due to the lack of English labeling. Mohammed made it clear that even if the supermarket held a Global Listing permit, the absence of English labels was a clear violation.
“Even with a Global Listing permit, the products should have been labeled in English. Moreover, they have not provided any NAFDAC documentation for these items, which is completely unacceptable,” he added.
As part of the investigation, NAFDAC has also extended its inquiry to determine how such products, which violate the labeling requirements, were imported without being flagged. Mohammed noted that this action was necessary to ensure that public safety is not compromised by substandard or expired goods being sold in the market.
The agency has assured that it will continue to investigate the supermarket’s operations and intends to bring the operators in for a thorough examination.
“You cannot operate in Nigeria and disregard our laws. We have regulations in place to protect the public, and we will enforce them rigorously,” Mohammed said.
As part of its commitment to upholding public safety and regulatory compliance, NAFDAC has vowed to take all necessary steps to prevent further violations of this nature.
