The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public alert concerning the circulation of fake Ginny non-dairy creamer milk in Nigerian markets.
In a disclaimer issued on its official website recently, NAFDAC points out that “the product is widely distributed and sold across the country, particularly in the northern part of Nigeria due to its high demand.”
The agency added that, “The falsified brands of Ginny Non-dairy Creamer have been observed to be lagged with several labeling irregularities indicating non-compliance with NAFDAC’s pre-packaged food labelling guidelines.”
NAFDAC also pointed out several discrepancies between the original Ginny Creamer and the falsified one which include differences in the company of production and distribution, production date, batch number and country of production.
According to NAFDAC, the genuine Ginny Creamer was imported by “Satnam Investment Nigeria Ltd, Desiree Plaza 2 Sheraton Road, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos”, while the fake one was manufactured by “Oki General Trading Llc Dubai (U.A.E).”
It further highlighted that it observed that the falsified batch of Ginny Creamer did not specify ‘Creamer’ or clearly stated whether the product is diary or non-diary.
It noted that the term ‘milky’ is indicative of milk ingredients but this is contradictory to the actual product content.
In addition, pictorial representation of cows are misleading as the ingredients do not include a diary.
NAFDAC further stressed that the fake products do not have its registration number, a clear indication that the product is unregistered and does not comply with the regulatory provisions, as such its safety and quality is not guaranteed.
The agency also observed that the net weight showing ‘±35g’ is ambiguous.
All NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to carry out surveillance and mop up the falsified product within the zones and states.
NAFDAC also encourages the public to report any suspicion of the distribution and sale of counterfeit Ginny Creamer products to its nearest office.
Consumers and health care workers are also urged to report adverse effects related to the consumption of the counterfeit product or any other packaged food products through various channels, including e-reporting platforms on the NAFDAC website, including www.nafdac.gov.ng or via e-mail on pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng