NAFDAC Viral ‘Fake Products’ List: What the Agency Actually Warned Nigerians About

A viral list circulating on social media has sparked concern among Nigerian consumers by claiming that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC has identified a long catalogue of fake products in the country.

The list contains familiar names, including Cowbell, Peak Milk, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Lacasera, various rice brands, medicines and cosmetics. It also extends to broad food categories such as palm oil, honey, fish, chicken and meat.

But the viral compilation gives a misleading impression of what NAFDAC actually announced. A review of the agency’s safety alerts, recalls, enforcement reports and regulatory notices shows that NAFDAC did not issue one new blanket alert declaring all the brands and products on the viral list fake.

Rather, the compilation appears to combine regulatory actions issued at different times and for different reasons. Some products were confirmed as counterfeit or falsified. Others were recalled because of quality or safety concerns, while some were unregistered or involved in specific enforcement operations. In several cases, NAFDAC’s warning applied only to a particular batch, variant, packaging or market.

A statement that “NAFDAC listed Peak Milk as fake”, for instance, could wrongly suggest that the agency has declared the legitimate Peak Milk brand unsafe. In reality, NAFDAC has previously intercepted counterfeit versions of Peak products produced or packaged by unauthorised operators.

One of the products featured in the viral list is Cowbell. In August 2025, NAFDAC issued an alert concerning counterfeit Cowbell “Our Milk” 12g sachets circulating in Nigeria.

The agency said the product imitated Cowbell packaging but was not manufactured or distributed by Promasidor Nigeria Limited.

NAFDAC also explained that Promasidor had discontinued production of the “Our Milk” variant in September 2023 and replaced it with Cowbell “Our Creamy Goodness”.

The warning, therefore, was directed at the counterfeit sachets, not Cowbell products generally.

The same distinction applies to several other popular brands named in the viral compilation. During an enforcement operation at Aba’s Cemetery Market in 2025, NAFDAC uncovered facilities allegedly producing counterfeit and adulterated beverages under the names of well-known brands.

The operation involved products bearing names such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and Lacasera, alongside Hollandia Yoghurt, Super Commando Energy, Feyrouz and Amstel Malta.

Counterfeit versions of Peak Sachet Milk, Cowbell Sachet Milk, Peak Chocolate Drink, Miksi Sachet Milk, Cadbury Chocolate Drink and Ovaltine were also reportedly discovered.

NAFDAC said the operators were using cloned packaging and materials associated with legitimate brands and producing the drinks under unhygienic conditions.

Again, the enforcement action was against counterfeit products and the people producing them, not a declaration that the legitimate brands themselves were fake.

Popular rice brands also appear on the viral list, but the circumstances are similarly specific.

In March 2025, NAFDAC seized more than 120 bags of counterfeit rice in Rivers State. The agency found empty bags and packaging bearing names including Big Bull, Cap Rice, Stallion Rice, Tomato Rice and Mama Pride.

Investigators said rice was being re-bagged and sold in packaging designed to resemble established brands.

The regulatory action therefore concerned counterfeit packaging and the unauthorised repackaging of rice, rather than a declaration that all rice sold under those brand names was fake.

The viral list also includes Postinor-2. NAFDAC’s August 2025 alert was specifically about falsified batches of the emergency contraceptive.

The agency identified two types of falsified products and pointed to differences in packaging and irregularities involving verification stickers. The authorised marketing company also said it had not imported the affected batches.

This is an important distinction for consumers: a falsified batch is not the same thing as an agency declaring every pack of the medicine on the Nigerian market counterfeit.

Some of the medicines circulating in the viral compilation did feature in genuine NAFDAC counterfeit or falsification alerts.

In March 2025, the agency warned about counterfeit Noristerat Injection 200mg and issued an alert concerning falsified Cikatem carrying a falsified NAFDAC registration number.

An April 2025 alert concerned counterfeit Aflotin 20/120 tablets. These were legitimate regulatory warnings, but they applied to the affected counterfeit or falsified products rather than every legitimate version of the medicines.

This is perhaps the most important part of the viral claim. Some products named in the compilation were not classified as counterfeit at all. For example, NAFDAC recalled Amoxivue 500mg in 2025 after testing found significantly low levels of its active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Juhel Folic Acid Tablets were also recalled after being classified as substandard, while Regpara 25mg appeared in a recall relating to a quality concern involving an impurity.

These cases fall under quality and safety regulation, rather than counterfeit enforcement.

A recalled or substandard medicine should therefore not automatically be described as a fake medicine.

NAFDAC has carried out enforcement operations involving adulterated and unsafe food products. However, that does not mean the agency has declared entire categories such as palm oil, honey, fish, chicken, meat or yoghurt to be fake.

Indeed, in September 2026, NAFDAC pushed back against social-media claims concerning allegedly fake or adulterated yoghurt, palm oil, fish, chicken, water and beverages.

The agency stressed that such claims require proper investigation and scientific testing before a product can be officially declared unsafe.

For consumers, the safest response to the viral list is not to panic or automatically stop buying every brand mentioned. Instead, consumers should verify the specific product, batch number, variant, packaging and NAFDAC registration details against the agency’s official alerts.

Where a product has been recalled, the relevant recall notice should be checked to establish exactly which batch or variant is affected.

The same applies to medicines. Consumers should be particularly cautious about products with unusual packaging, suspicious registration numbers, altered labels or questionable sources.