More facts have emerged on why the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) slammed a N1 billion administrative charges on food beverage maker, Guinness Nigeria Plc.
Findings from NAFDAC have revealed that the firm was accused of alleged breach of Good Manufacturing Practice procedures.
The agency, it was gathered, conducted a routine check on the company’s factory in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, November 5, 2015 leaving with unsatisfactory appraisals about how some of the materials used in the production processes were being handled.
Scoops from NAFDAC confirmed that a letter to this effect was actually conveyed to the firm after a report sequel to the visit was tendered to the leadership of its enforcement directorate.
Further findings revealed that the team that visited Guinness was miffed at the poor conditions under which the raw materials used in the factory were being handled.
They reportedly found that the raw materials used in their factories were exposed to rodents, as the firm was also accused of revalidating expired products.
The N1 billion mandatory administrative charges may just be the basic action to be undertaken by NAFDAC, as it has been gathered that the agency is still processing for action, the report submitted by the team that visited Guinness.
“Yes, our team visited Guinness and the reported findings were true. The agency is, however, going to make a public statement to this effect at the appropriate time, as we are still studying the reports submitted by the team,” a NAFDAC source disclosed.
The agency’s source also said that the proposed report would provide details on why the action against Guinness was taken.
Meanwhile, earlier reports indicate that NAFDAC, in the letter to the firm has requested that it discloses all its warehouses in the country. This is to be accompanied with inventory level of the stock thereof.
They have also been mandated to submit a written voluntary consent of forfeiture for destruction of the expired and revalidated raw materials discovered in your warehouse; and submit a notarised undertaking to comply with all the guidelines, rules, regulations and enactments of the agency, and to refrain from any future violations.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC has reportedly given the company two weeks to pay the fine.
In a reaction to this, the company has issued a statement, saying it does not fully understand the basis for the computation of the administrative charges nor the particular regulations alleged to have been infringed. It stated that they are currently in discussions with NAFDAC with a view to gaining better clarity on the issue and hopefully have it resolved.
Guinness Nigeria, a subsidiary of Diageo Plc of the United Kingdom, has been operating in Nigeria for over six decades.
No comments:
Post a Comment