DAILY NIGERIAN
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has seized expired products worth more than N5 million from shops in Minna.
Hauwa Yusuf, state coordinator (Niger 1), SON, said on Saturday in Minna that some of the products had expired seven years ago, but were still being sold to unsuspecting consumers.
She made the declaration at a ceremony where SON presented the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme, MANCAP, certificate to Kiara Rice Mills located in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger.
Mr Yusuf listed products seized to include teas, chocolate drinks, juices, yoghurt, biscuits, coffee, margarine, milk, bath soaps and gels, body and face creams, packaged powdered beans, and maize, amongst others.
“We went to some sachet water industries and seized their water filters and pipes which were overgrown with algae.
“We cannot allow such sachet water producers to continue to use those filters to filter water for the public to consume.
“We also seized stickers of a reputable product from another manufacturer who intended to use them to market his fake or substandard products,” she said.
Mr Yusuf expressed concern at the high rate of circulation of expired, uncertified, unregistered and substandard products in market places.
“It is worrisome that the Nigerian market is still flooded with expired, uncertified, unregistered, and substandard products regularly used by undiscerning citizens.
“Most of these products that are being seized have expired for as long as seven years and they are still in circulation in markets,” she said.
Mr Yusuf assured that SON had stepped up its compliance action to ensure that markets were sanitised of expired and substandard products…
