The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday advised Nigerians to guard against buying expired products during the yuletide.
Mr Dauda Gimba, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of NAFDAC, gave the advice in Enugu while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the Agency’s planned mop-up of expired products from the market.
According to Gimba, Nigerians can avoid buying expired products by scrutinizing the validity signs printed on them.
“It is getting to the end of the year, a seasonal period where a lot of purchases are made and people bring out a lot of commodities.
“My advice to the consumer would be to be extra vigilant; scrutinize what you want to buy, look at it very carefully.
“Check the expiring date; check the validity signs on that product before you make your purchase otherwise there are tremendous risks.
“However, on our own, we do go round and we would intensify that and wherever we find illegalities, we would take necessary action.’’
The zonal coordinator stated that it is likely that nefarious and unscrupulous traders will use the Christmastime to push to the market expired or near-expired products for unsuspecting members of the public to buy.
He urged mobile marketers of products regulated by NAFDAC to adhere strictly to the guideline for such activity as provided by the agency to avoid breaking the law.
