NAFDAC FOOD LABELLING

REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE

BY
DAN-UFOMADU UDO
FOOD R & R

Monday, 13th
December
2020
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 OBJECTIVES
• IMPORTANCE OF THE FOOD LABELLING REGULATIONS IN
PORT INSPECION
• ACCESS AND UNDERSTAND THE FOOD LABELING
REGULATIONS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
• MANDATORY FEATURES OF A FOOD LABEL AND THE
RULES GUIDING THEM
• VIOLATIONS THAT COULD ARISE FROM NON
COMPLIANCE WITH THE FOOD LABELLING REGULATIONS.
•

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 NAFDAC Mandate
• The National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC), was
established by Act Cap N1 Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, to regulate
and control the manufacture , importation,
exportation, distribution, advertisement, sales
and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical
devices and packaged water (Known as
regulated products.)

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 REGULATIONS
• Regulations are rules or principles controlling
an activity
• Regulations help to strengthen the system of
food control and surveillance,
• The primary purposes of food legislation are
to protect the health of the consumer, to
protect the consumer from fraud, and to
ensure the essential quality and
wholesomeness of foods.

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 Gazette Regulations
There are 16 Gazette Food Regulations 2005
1. Fats and Oils Regulations.
2. Food Fortification Regulations.
3. Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Food Products
Regulations.
4. Food Products (Advertisement) Regulations.
5. Food Grade (Table or Cooking) Salt
Regulations.

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 GAZETTED REGULATIONS CONT
6. Spirit Drinks Regulations.
7. Pre-packaged Food (Labelling) Regulations.
8. Cocoa Products Regulations.
9. Soft Drinks Regulations.
10. Food Fortification with Vitamin A
Regulations.
11. Processed Food Registration Regulations.
12. Wine Regulations.

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 GAZETTED REGULATIONS CONT

13. Food Irradiation Regulations.

14. Fruit Juice and Nectar Regulations.
15. Food Additives Regulations.
16. Milk and Dairy Products Regulations.

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 Food Regulations Review

• They were reviewed in 2019, 14 are awaiting

gazette.

• Fats and Oils Regulations 2019 AND

Prepackaged Food, Water and Ice (Labelling)
Regulations 2019 are to be further reviewed.

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 Categorisation of food regulations
• Food registration regulations
• Food labelling regulations
• Food advertisement regulations
• Food prohibition regulations (BMS Regulation)
• Food process related regulations (irradiation
regulation)
• Food specific reglations (e.g. soft drinks regulation
• Food ingredients regulations (food fortification
regulation)

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 PRE-PACKAGED FOOD, WATER AND ICE
(LABELLING)
REGULATIONS 2019
• Scope: These
Regulations shall apply
to the labeling of all
pre-packaged food
(including water and
ice) to be offered as
such to consumers

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 Definitions
• “Label” means any tag, brand, mark, pictorial
or other descriptive matter, written, printed,
stenciled, marked, embossed, impressed on,
or attached to a container of food.
• “Prepackaged food” means food water or ice
made up in advance in a container ready for
offer to the consumer or for catering purposes

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• “Principal Display Panel”: means that part of
the label that bears the brand name or trade
name and product name in greatest
prominence and which is likely to be seen at
first glance by the consumer at the time of
purchase, that enables the consumer to
immediately identify a product in terms of its
character or nature;

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 DEFINITIONS CONT…
• Nutrient reference values (NRVs) are a set of
values used in nutrition labelling derived from
authoritative recommendations for daily
nutrient intake. These recommendations are
based on best available scientific knowledge
of the daily amount of energy or nutrient
needed for good health.

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Mandatory features on a food label
• Name of the food ( includes brand name and
product description)
• List of ingredients
• Net content
• Name, address and contact information of the
manufacturer and distributor

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Mandatory features on a food label
• Date markings (manufacturing date, “expiring”
date, “best before” date, “use by” date )
• Batch number.
• Storage conditions
• NAFDAC registration number
• Language
• Cautions ( allergy, age restrictions, pregnancy
etc)

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Mandatory features on a food label
• Instructions for use
• Nutritional information
• Claims
• Pictorials*

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2.0 SAMPLE PANEL

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 2.1 NUTRITION PANEL
 Nutrient reference values (NRVs) are a set of values
used in nutrition labelling derived from authoritative
recommendations for daily nutrient intake. These
recommendations are based on best available
scientific knowledge of the daily amount of energy or
nutrient needed for good health.
 %NRV: based on daily dietary goals of a person
consuming 2,000 kcal. NRV for fat is 65g.
 %NRV is used to evaluate nutrient content claims.

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3.1 CONDITIONS FOR NUTRIENT CLAIMS
S/N Claim Condition
1 Free: Cholesterol 0.005g and less than
1.5g SF per 100g 0.75g
Trans-Fat per 100ml
Fat 0.5g and 0.5g SF
Saturated fat 0.5g
Sodium 0.1g
Sugar 0.005g
0.5g
2 Source of : Protein. Vitamin and Mineral 10% NRV per 100 g solid
or per serving 5% per
100ml. 15% per 100mg
Source:fiber 7.5% per 100ml
Excellent source of 3g per 100g
2 times the values for
source.
3 Low: Energy 40 kcal per 100g 20 kcal
Fat per 100ml
Cholesterol 3g per 100g 1.5g per
Saturated fat 100ml
Sodium 0.02g per 100g 0.01g per
100ml
1.5g per 100g 0.75g per
100ml
0.12g per 100g 20
LABELLING VIOLATIONS THAT COULD ARISE
Formulation • Wrong application/ use of
• Non declaration of controlled ingredients eg
ingredients caffeine, etc
• Use of generic name of • Use of appropriate pack sizes,
e.g. to make a glass of milk use 3
some ingredients
heaped spoonful in a glass of
• Use of more than two water, then having another pack
additives of the same class. size of 6g that is just about 1
• Use of banned ingredients spoon with the same instruction
still saying use 1 pack in a cup of
water
• Use of inappropriate ingredients
for a specific product

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Formulation • Inadequate formulation
• Masking of inadequate based on claims on the
ingredients of a label
substance with flavour • Non declaration of
or colour eg, adding quantity of major
milk flavour to milk or ingredients e.g tomato
chocolate flavour to in tomato mix, alcoholic
cocoa-based products strength, chicken and
adding red colour or beef in sausage, % fat in
corn starch/soy powder spreads/margarine e.t.c
to tomato paste.

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• Misrepresentation of the • No manufacturer’s
product either in the name, name and address or
pictorial or claims
incomplete address
• Cloning of an already
registered product - Use of • Inadequate packaging
sound alike or look alike material
• No provision for all • Typographical errors .
production information; • Poorly done Nutrition
batch no., man. & exp.
dates, pack size
Fact Sheet (information
table), or copy and
paste

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• Inadequate or lack of • Not using appropriate
storage conditions cautions or warning
signs e.g. Allergy
• No disposal sign caution and responsible
drinking, Age
restrictions, Pregnancy
e.t.c
• No provision for NRN

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Unsubstantiated nutrition • Superiority claims
and health claims without third party
• Unsubstantiated nutrition verification claims
and health claims. • Wrong description of
• Lack of Nutrition Fact the product
Table/Sheet
• Heath claims without
• False claims about
related substantiation production process e.g
information backing it sortext when the rice
• Claims without reference to has broken pieces in it.
the exact product

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4.0 CONCLUSION
 Food labels and nutrition panel are valuable tools to assist
consumers in making informed food choices only if they
provide true and accurate information. This is what the
agency seeks to achieve by the enforcement of its food
labelling regulations.
THANK YOU

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