The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public alert regarding the G Fuel brand Energy Drinks produced by T&E Imports and GPAE Trading Corp, citing dangerously high caffeine levels.
This announcement, designated as Public Alert No. 034/2023, was issued to journalists in Abuja on Thursday by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye.
Professor Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC had received notification about the recall of these energy drinks by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
These international agencies acted swiftly upon discovering the perilously elevated caffeine content within the product.
According to Professor Adeyeye, consuming products with such high caffeine levels can result in adverse health effects, including headaches, insomnia, irritability, and nervousness.
These symptoms can manifest even with minimal consumption for individuals sensitive to caffeine. Pregnant women were singled out for special caution, as excessive caffeine intake can increase the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight.
Furthermore, the Director-General noted a lack of cautionary statements on the affected products, failing to limit the number of servings per day. These products are widely available for purchase online, posing additional concerns.
Professor Adeyeye emphasized that these particular G Fuel Energy Drinks were not registered by NAFDAC. As a result, she strongly urged consumers and retailers to cease using, selling, serving, or distributing these implicated products immediately.
She called upon the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious distribution and sale of substandard packaged food products to the nearest NAFDAC office.
In an effort to streamline the reporting process, NAFDAC has established multiple avenues for reporting adverse events or side effects related to the use of NAFDAC-regulated products.
The public can contact NAFDAC directly at 0800-162-3322 or via email at sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng. Healthcare professionals and patients are also encouraged to report any adverse events through the NAFDAC website (www.nafdac.gov.ng), using the E-reporting platforms, or by downloading the Med-safety application from Android and IOS stores. Additionally, NAFDAC can be reached via email at pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng.
This NAFDAC public alert serves as a critical warning to safeguard the health and well-being of Nigerian consumers and emphasizes the importance of regulating caffeine levels in energy drinks.
