The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has directed businesses across Nigeria to pull consumer products with incomplete, deceptive or misleading labels from the market.
The order, announced in a public advisory on Wednesday, affects manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers and follows the commission’s surveillance and inspection of products being sold to Nigerian consumers.
The FCCPC said it identified goods carrying inaccurate information or lacking essential details needed by consumers to determine whether products are safe and suitable for use.
Among the deficiencies identified were missing production and expiry dates, batch numbers, manufacturers’ details, ingredient lists, allergen declarations and country-of-origin information.
The commission warned that inadequate labelling could leave consumers exposed to health and safety hazards while also denying them the information required to make informed purchasing decisions.
“Deceptive, incomplete, or misleading product labelling violates consumers’ right to the information required to make informed purchasing decisions and may expose them to significant health, safety, and economic risks,” the FCCPC said.
The commission said the directive was issued under relevant provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, which empowers it to protect consumers and enforce compliance with applicable product standards.
It noted that businesses must also comply with labelling requirements established by relevant regulatory bodies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
The FCCPC consequently ordered businesses to immediately inspect their inventories and remove products that fail to meet mandatory labelling requirements.
It warned that companies and individuals who continue to manufacture, distribute or sell non-compliant products could be subjected to regulatory sanctions.
The commission also urged consumers to examine product labels carefully before buying goods, particularly information relating to expiry dates, batch numbers, manufacturers, ingredients and other required declarations.
Consumers were advised to reject products with missing, altered or illegible labels and to report suspected violations through the commission’s official complaint channels.
The FCCPC said it would step up market surveillance and enforcement nationwide, working with other regulatory agencies to ensure compliance and prevent consumers from being exposed to unsafe or misleading products.
