Nigerian Breweries confirms CPC investigation on health benefits of beer consumption

Nigerian Breweries Plc has confirmed that it is now in receipt of a notification on the commencement of investigation from the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) on the “veracity of claims regarding the health benefits of beer consumption” and mandating us to back up statements made about beer at the 3rd Nigerian Beer Symposium, which recently held in Lagos with the theme “Beer and Culture”.
The company’s Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr. Kufre Ekanem said, the Nigerian Beer Symposium is an annual platform created to share available and scientifically verifiable knowledge on beer with our stakeholders, allow robust debate on same and reinforce our message of moderate and responsible consumption. In the past two years, the Nigerian Beer Symposium has enabled experts in different fields to share evidence-based knowledge on the nutritional, health and lifestyle benefits of beer when consumed in moderation.
According to him, “Each symposium discusses the risks that come with abuse of beer or other alcohol for the consumer and for the society. These information on beer are in the public domain and can easily be confirmed.”
He stressed that, no brand claims were made at the 3rd Nigerian Beer Symposium because, by design, the discussions thereat are not about specific brands nor their particular attributive values. “Rather, the sessions discuss the beer category as a whole and create space for the presentation of verifiable facts on beer we believe our stakeholders should be aware of”, he said.
Beyond inviting the subject matter experts and creating the platform, we do not influence the contents and thrusts of their presentations at the symposia. We also do not issue press releases nor teleguide the media coverage for the symposia thereafter, Kufre noted.
He added that, the management of Nigerian Breweries have spoken with the leadership of the CPC to understand their concerns and that Nigerian Breweries would deliver a full formal response to the issues raised in the notice within the timeframe provided.
“We intend to keep discussing with the Council to clarify any grey areas on beer and the Nigerian Beer Symposium until the process is completed. We also look forward to clarifying same to other stakeholders who might be interested to know more about beer or any of our product categories”, he said.