SON debunks fake malt drink production, affirms NB’s quality control

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has debunked the claims of a fake Amstel Malta in circulation, even as it affirmed that Nigerian Breweries Plc has met regulations bordering on safety and quality requirements.

Debunking the claims assures consumers of safety of what they are consuming even as the agency added that the brewing firm has also complied with all requirements of the new National Industrial Standard (NIS) logo.

Deputy Director of the agency, Fred Akingbesote, explained that the NIS logo on Amstel Malta, a formulated malt drink from Nigerian Breweries is the highest mark of quality from SON and commended the management of Nigerian Breweries for its commitment to the highest quality standard.

He stated that Nigerian Breweries is one of the first companies to adopt the new NIS logo, which was launched in September 2015.

It could be recalled that Nigerian Breweries had in August 2016, launched a new credential campaign tagged, WhyAddMore.

“Shortly after the campaign, a picture went viral that a fake version of the Amstel Malta is in circulation. This was because the new packaging wore the new NIS logo while the old packaging had the old NIS logo of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria”, the firm explained.

Akingbesote maintained that the people behind the defamation are just playing on the intelligence of Nigerians, saying, “We have a website (www.son.gov.ng) which contains all information on our standards and quality regulations. Every Nigerian who has doubts about any product certified by SON should crosscheck the facts”.

Also, Nigerian Breweries Plc Corporate Affairs Adviser, Kufre Ekanem, explained that Amstel Malta was one of the first brands to comply with SON’s directives.

He added that the brand revised its package in line with the guidelines and approval of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and in compliance with the new mandatory NIS quality logo from the SON

“In the normal course of product and packaging renovation, old packaging and the new introduction co-exist in the market until the old one dries out. In view of the twelve month shelf life, we currently have Amstel Malta with both the old and new packaging in some parts of the market,” Ekanem said.

He maintained that Nigerian Breweries is a world-class multinational company that has operated in Nigeria for over 70 years and that the quality of its brands has been one of the key success factors of the company across these decades.