UNBS, NDA, UCC Join Efforts to Regulate Advertisement of Counterfeit, Deceptive Beverages
Kampala – The Government standards body, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), National Drug Authority (NDA), and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), have joined to regulate advertisements of products claimed to have
nutritional and therapeutic value on television, radio and social media.
‘’These advertisements, which exaggerate the therapeutic capability of the drinks being advertised, are not only misleading to the public but actually putting lives at risk. Moreover, some of them, especially the visual content on TV and social media, portray inappropriate content’’, reads in part a Joint Media Release issued on Tuesday.
Section 33 (1) (c) of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act, Cap 206 prohibits the advertisement and publication of information that is calculated to promote the use of a drug for prevention or treatment of any disease or relating to enhancing human potency.
In addition, Section 5 (1) to (5) in the Food and Drugs Act, Cap 278 prohibits the false labelling or advertisement of food or drug.
‘’Anyone who advertises or promotes a product with claims of a cure, treatment, prevention and/or modification of disease/body function is advertising a drug and must seek the approval of NDA. The media platforms that publish these advertisements contravene sections 12 and 13 of Annex 14 of the Advertising Standards issued by the UCC’’, adds the release.
According to the Parastatals, the claims made in the adverts are not in tandem with the applicable Uganda Standards for labelling and use of claims for the health drinks concerned.
‘’NDA, UNBS, and UCC have extensively engaged the concerned health drinks manufacturers on acceptable advertising practices. Media operators and owners have also been engaged in advertising standards, especially regarding running advertisements with nutritional and therapeutic claims,” it states further.
NDA, UNBS and UCC, in the interest of public health and safety, warned all manufacturers of such beverages and the media houses engaged in running
these deceptive adverts to desist from such practices with immediate effect.
‘’Any manufacturer or media house found in violation of these requirements will face sanctions in accordance with the laws put in place by the government to protect consumer health and safety from these dangerous deceptive practices’’.
The agencies vowed to continue engaging the public on the safety of the products they consume and also continue to monitor such products on the market to protect consumers.
Members of the public have also been encouraged to report any drug promotional materials or advertisement that they think is inappropriate to NDA, UNBS or UCC or UNBS for investigation and possible prosecution of the
offenders.
On Tuesday, representatives from the agencies held an online engagement to observe the COVID-19 Guidelines where they discussed a number of issues to tackle the vice.
UNBS was represented by Silvia Kirabo, the Head Public Relations Maximilia Nakitto, head of Food & Agriculture certification and Patricia Bageine Ejalu, the Deputy Executive Director Standards.
Dr.Helen Byomire Ndagije, the Director Product Safety represented NDA while UCC was represented by the Head of Multi-Media and Content Meddie Kaggwa.
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