From food items to medicines, Nigerian consumers face a cat-and-mouse race to avoid buying expired products. A survey conducted by the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) revealed that 96.4 per cent of Nigerian consumers check manufacturing and expiry dates before making a purchase.
Most of the surveyed consumers shop at the open market, and 43.6 per cent confirmed that they have been affected by counterfeit products more than once, and 60 per cent have seen expired goods on sale.
The high rate of expired products in both physical and online spaces has eroded consumers’ trust even when shopping in supermarkets, which are considered formal retail spaces with better management and regulation.
While consumers are alert and careful when purchasing any product, they can still fall victim to fake packaging. A report by BusinessDay reveals that repackaged expired products dominate Nigeria’s food market.
To circumvent consumers’ eagle eyes in detecting expired products from the package label, these dishonest sellers may resort to selling the products unbranded. For instance, it is not unusual to find noodles, milk, corn flakes, and other food items sold with a paint bucket and tomato paste and milk tin measurements. This is contrary to the original packaging distributed by the manufacturers of these products, which usually have a manufacturing and expiry date stamped.
The market is harder to monitor due to several reasons, including manpower shortage of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as revealed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and the low reportage by the populace.
The report of the survey by the NGO revealed that instead of reporting to the appropriate authority, 70.9 per cent of consumers affected by expired products would rather warn their families and friends rather than file a formal complaint. Over 70 per cent of them also doubt the speed and effectiveness of seeking formal redress.
