Some patrons of herbal drinks have lamented over what they describe as influx of sub-standard drinks across major cities in Nigeria.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist, Mrs. Bola Aina, explained that most of the unpopular brands are found in low-profile areas like streets, bus stations, dingy bars and open markets, and that they are primarily consumed by the masses.
He said, “Most of the products contain a high dosage of ethanol, caffeine, and hemp, instead of ‘herbal extracts.’ The bitter taste of many of them is extracted from ‘muru’, a substance used in treating pile in the northern part of the country and that means the drinks do not cure the diseases their manufacturers claim they do.”
Aside from fears that the drinks do not cure the diseases their producers claimed, the Managing Director, After Work Bar, Mr. Charles Imoh, expressed worries that the effect of consuming contents of some of the brands may not be visible immediately.
“In most cases, the fake drinks damage some internal organs of the body and gradually lead to terminal diseases. The unfortunate thing is that most people that consume the drinks don’t do the regular medical check-up and they won’t know their health status until the ‘poison’ eats deep into their organs, a development that leads to death most times,” he said.
However, the Group Managing Director, Kasapreko Company Limited, Mr. Kwabena Adjei, manufacturer of Alomo Bitters, told The Point that his company had lost about 40 percent of its market share to the grey market, a development that forced it to suspend its plan to build a N10 billion factory in Nigeria.
He said, “We wanted to make a strong footprint in Nigeria, and we have not canceled the ambition, but once we can get rid of those destroying the market and harming the lives of the people through faking of our product, then we can decide to put the factory in place.
“We know that there are lots of fake Alomo Bitters in Nigeria and they come in different packages with contents that are harmful to the body. Aside from the 750 ml bottle, we only have a 200ml bottle and nothing more.
“With the new hologram, all our consumers should look for is a crown logo and our company’s logo on the transparent material, to confirm whether the product is real or fake,” Adjei, added.
