Key Takeaways
- NAFDAC has intercepted an imported tomato paste product at Bowa Market, Onitsha carrying a fake NAFDAC registration number.
- The fake number belongs to a sachet water product, a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers into believing it has regulatory approval.
- The product falls under Nigeria’s import prohibition list — tomato paste importation is banned to protect local manufacturers.
If you buy tomato paste in Onitsha or anywhere in the Southeast, check well before you buy.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has discovered and intercepted an imported tomato paste product found at Bowa Market, Onitsha carrying a fake NAFDAC registration number belonging to a sachet water product.
This is not a small mistake. According to NAFDAC enforcement officers who carried out the operation, this is one of the deceptive practices they are working hard to eliminate.
During a recent enforcement operation at Bowa Market — one of the major markets in Onitsha, Anambra State — officers discovered the imported tomato paste which falls under Nigeria’s import prohibition list. Tomato paste is on the list of items banned from importation into Nigeria to encourage local production.
Beyond violating import regulations, the misuse of a NAFDAC registration number is a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers into believing a product has regulatory approval when it does not. Using a sachet water number on tomato paste shows the importers knew exactly what they were doing — they wanted to deceive you at the point of sale.
This alert comes just days after NAFDAC disowned a viral fake products list on October 9, 2026, warning Nigerians not to share unverified lists, but to report suspected fake products through official channels: 0700-1-NAFDAC (0700-1-623322) for enquiries, 0800-1-NAFDAC (0800-1-623322) for complaints.
BEWARE OF FAKE TOMATOES PASTE
🚨 Public Alert!!! 🚨
An imported tomato paste product found at Bowa Market, Onitsha was carrying fake NAFDAC registration number belonging to a sachet water product. This is one of the deceptive practices we are working to eliminate.
During a…
— UNCLE DEJI™️ (@DejiAdesogan) October 22, 2026
What to do if you bought tomato paste recently:
Check the NAFDAC number — does it match the product category?
Check if it says “Made in Nigeria” vs imported
Buy from trusted supermarkets, not open market bulk
If it looks too cheap to be real, it probably is fake
NAFDAC says it will continue enforcement operations across markets in Anambra, Kano, Lagos and other hotspots. Last week alone, the agency destroyed N5.3bn worth of fake products including tomato paste, biscuits, alcoholic beverages and chemicals.
Beware. That tomato paste in your kitchen may be fake. Check the NAFDAC number today.
Peter K. is the Editor at XTrend.ng. He tracks what’s trending across politics, metro and pop culture — and tells the story as it is. With years in digital media, he leads the XTrend newsroom with a focus on speed, accuracy and street-smart reporting.
