Dipo Olowookere
**Praises Nigerian Breweries
By Dipo Olowookere
The statutory body vested with the responsibility of standardising and regulating the quality of all products in Nigeria, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has debunked claims of a fake Amstel Malta in circulation.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos on Thursday, a Deputy Director at SON, Mr Fred Akingbesote, emphasised that there was no fake Amstel Malta in the market.
Mr Akingbesote confirmed that the NIS logo on Amstel Malta was the highest mark of quality from SON and commended the management of Nigerian Breweries Plc, makers of the Amstel Malta, 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.
The Deputy Director, who represented the Director General of the organisation at the media parley, explained to journalists that Nigerian Breweries have met all SON safety and quality requirements and have complied with all requirements of the new National Industrial Standard (NIS) logo.
Mr Akingbesote maintained that the people behind the defamation were just playing on the intelligence of Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr Kufre Ekanem, explained that the Amstel Malta was one of the first brands to comply with SON directives.
He added that the brand revised its packaging 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 12-month shelf life, we currently have Amstel Malta with both the old and new packaging in some parts of the market,” Mr 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.
“Every pack of Amstel Malta is produced to the highest quality-control standards of Nigerian Breweries,” he noted.
He also said before the company rebranded Amstel Malta in 2016, it got the necessary approvals from the relevant agencies.
Mr Ekanem assured consumers that every pack of Amstel Malta contains the same premium quality malt drink that they have come to love.
He informed that the company has reported the defamation attempt to the police and remains grateful that the police authorities are investigating the case further.
It would be recalled that in August 2016, Amstel Malta, the premium, low sugar formulated malt drink from the stable of Nigerian Breweries, launched a new credential campaign WhyAddMore.
Shortly after the campaign, a picture went viral that a fake version of the Amstel Malta was in circulation.
This was because the new packaging wore the new NIS logo while the old packaging had the old NIS logo of SON.
