House Wants Expiry Date on Carbonated Drinks by Jan 2019

  • Jibrin attends plenary 

    James Emejo in Abuja

The House of Representatives wednesday adopted a recommendation that expiration dates must be printed on all carbonated and non-carbonated drinks produced and marketed in the country by January 2019.

Among other things, it further directed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) should compel producers/manufacturers to indicate all chemicals, acids, colorants and preservatives contained in their products on the packs or bottles no matter how negligible they are.

These were contained in the report of the Ad-hoc committee to investigate the Production and distribution of drinks manufactured by the Nigeria Bottling Company Limited and other drinks produced or marketed in Nigeria which was chaired by the House Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos).

The report which was considered by the Committee of the Whole chaired by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yussuf Lasun, further recommended that warning labels be printed on Fanta and Sprite that the products are harmful when taken with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).

The House also adopted a recommendation that the House Committee on Health Services be mandated to take special attention on the activities of NAFDAC.

The report also demanded that a standard review should be carried out biannually by the regulatory agencies, particularly the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) partnering NAFDAC.

Meanwhile, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who was suspended for 180 legislative days over the budget padding controversies which rocked the lower chamber in 2016, resumed plenary sitting at the chamber wednesday.

He was pardoned following a letter of apology which he wrote to the House.

Sporting a cream-coloured babariga, he was seen exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues.
But he left the chamber before the conclusion of the day’s proceedings.

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