FCCPC orders recall of products with misleading labels

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in Nigeria has issued an order for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers to recall consumer goods with misleading or incomplete labels from the market. This directive was announced in a public advisory shared on the commission's official X account on Tuesday.

Market surveillance and routine inspections conducted by the FCCPC uncovered a growing number of products being sold without the essential labelling information required by law. These products were found lacking key details such as production dates, expiry or best-before dates, batch numbers, manufacturer information, ingredient lists, allergen information, country of origin, and other mandatory labelling requirements.

The FCCPC, empowered by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, emphasized that failing to provide accurate labelling information violates consumers' right to make informed purchasing decisions and can expose them to potential health, safety, and economic risks. The commission directed all relevant businesses to review their inventories and immediately withdraw any non-compliant consumer goods from sale.

Additionally, the FCCPC warned that companies continuing to distribute or sell products with non-compliant labels may face regulatory sanctions. To address this issue, the commission advised consumers to scrutinize product labels before purchasing and to avoid goods with missing, altered, illegible, or misleading information. The FCCPC also urged the public to report any suspected cases of non-compliance through its official complaint channels, promising to intensify market surveillance and enforcement efforts across the country to enhance consumer protection.