The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) on Sunday, August 2, ordered the closure of eight factories producing hard alcohols and revoked all associated manufacturing licences. The regulator said the decision was taken after inspections and compliance assessments was “in the interest of public health,” adding that the sanctions took immediate effect. ALSO READ: Govt renews efforts to tackle alcohol abuse among youth The affected facilities are Ingufu Gin Ltd, NBG Ltd, SKY Drop Industries Ltd, Africana Buffalo Ltd, Nopa Company Ltd, Roots Investment Group Ltd, Rugali Agro-Processing Company, and Zhonglu Industrial Liability Company Ltd. The regulator released a list of 38 brands of vodka, gin and whiskey. “Following regulatory inspections and compliance assessments; in the interest of public health, Rwanda FDA informs all manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the general public of the following regulatory actions are in effect immediately,” the regulator said in a notice. “All products originating from these facilities as listed in Annex I are ordered withdrawn from the market. Any other alcoholic beverage products not listed but produced by facilities listed above are also recalled from the market,” ALSO READ: Rwanda FDA revokes all ethanol import licences over public health concerns Manufacturers ordered to recall products Rwanda FDA instructed the affected manufacturers to immediately initiate a full recall of the products. It also instructed manufacturers to immediately request their respective distributors to recall the listed products from their clients and return current stock and recalled products to the manufacturers’ premises. “Rwanda FDA instructs manufacturers to submit recall reports within 3 working days,” the authority said. ALSO READ: Deadly cocktails: Inside Rwanda’s crackdown on toxic homemade brews Distributors and retailers have also been ordered to immediately stop the distribution and sale of the affected products and return remaining quantities to their suppliers, distributors or manufacturers. The regulator warned that failure to comply with the directives would lead to regulatory action. Consumers urged to stop consumption Rwanda FDA has called on consumers to immediately stop consuming the products listed from the closed manufacturers. “Rwanda FDA calls on consumers to immediately stop consumption of the products listed in Annex I,” the authority said. The regulator added that enforcement measures would continue and that more facilities could be affected. Rwanda FDA stated that a list of other concerned manufacturing facilities will be issued in due course. The closure of the breweries comes a day after the regulator revoked all ethanol import licences over public health concerns. This is part of a nationwide campaign aimed at ending production of illegal beverages and the issue of alcoholism, especially among the youth.
