The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sealed a Chinese supermarket in Abuja for violating the agency’s regulations on Monday.
The supermarket, located in Wuse, Abuja, was reported to sell goods labeled in Chinese, making it difficult for Nigerians who had no understanding of the language to decipher what they were.
Expired products were also found on the supermarket’s shelves.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Shaba Mohammed, said that the agency operatives acted on conceivable information provided to them by informants.
He added that the agency was informed that a significant percentage of the items sold at the supermarket before its closure were labeled in Chinese, violating NAFDAC’s regulations.
Mohammed also noted that items labeled in foreign languages, including French, Chinese, and Arabic, must have an English translation before being sold in Nigeria.
“Over 90% of the goods in this supermarket are labeled in Chinese. While some Nigerians may shop here, they should be able to read the information on the products,” Mohammed said.
“This supermarket cannot provide NAFDAC with any documents showing approval for items labelled in a foreign language.”
The director vowed to probe the supermarket and unravel how the Chinese-labeled items were imported into the country.
“An investigation will continue and we will also inspect its warehouse to prevent further sales of certain products,” Mohammed said.
