The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified that it does not have direct and absolute regulatory oversight over unbranded palm oil, fufu and other traditionally packaged staple foods sold in open markets.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the agency’s efforts to combat suspected counterfeit, adulterated and unsafe products across Nigeria.

Adeyeye revealed that NAFDAC received 225 complaints about suspected counterfeit products in August, noting that the agency gets more than 200 complaints from Nigerians every month through its various reporting channels.

“We received over 200 complaints from Nigerians monthly; in August we received 225 calls through NAFDAC complaint channel,” she said, according to NAN.

She urged Nigerians to report suspected counterfeiters through NAFDAC’s official complaint channels instead of relying solely on social media “Counterfeiters are not ghosts; they exist within our communities, neighbourhoods, and business premises,” she said.

Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC’s 24-hour call centre and other channels allow the agency to assess complaints and determine whether further investigation is necessary.

She acknowledged concerns over suspected adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe products, including yoghurt, palm oil, apples, soy sauce, olive oil, chicken, fish, water and beverages, but stressed that social media claims alone cannot establish that a product is unsafe or counterfeit.

“The strength of the publication could have been enhanced by a proper scientific evaluation rather than relying primarily on emotionally driven and perhaps commercially motivated social media narratives,” she said.

She added that NAFDAC’s food regulatory mandate mainly covers processed and packaged products, including inspection, sampling, laboratory testing, compliance monitoring, post-market surveillance, complaint investigation, product verification, recalls and enforcement.