Kumasi, Dec. 22, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has held a forum for packaged water producers to ensure compliance to safety and quality.
It engaged the participants on adherence to best practices to maintain standards and also ensure the safety of consumers of their products.
The forum provided an opportunity for the water producers to share experiences and learn from each other to improve on their operations.
Officials of the FDA took turns to sensitise them on reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light sanitizer and water quality.
Mrs Nora Narkie Terlabie, the Regional Head of the FDA, said the forum formed part of periodic engagements with its clients to discuss industry issues that bothered on safety and quality.
The sachet water industry is one of the biggest industries the FDA is working with in the region due to the wide patronage of consumers and the need to closely monitor their activities.
“FDA is for the safety of the consumer, therefore, we want to ensure that every sachet water anybody drinks is safe and of the nature and quality that is prescribed by law,” she said.
She said officials of the Authority had frequently been visiting facilities of the producers to ensure compliance to safety and hygienic systems.
Mrs Terlabie said sometimes the producers became lax months after registration so the FDA’s visit was to keep them on their toes in terms of compliance.
She said those who flouted the laws were given administrative charges depending on the infractions in line with the Public Health Act.
“By fining them does not mean we allow the infraction to go on. We have suspended a whole lot of companies and engaged them to bring them back to conformance,” she said.
Owners of the businesses sometimes left them in the hands of others without closely monitoring the operations and charged such owners to take keen interest in their business management.
She said the FDA would continue to strictly play its regulatory role in the interest of public health and safety and urged the participants to always do the right thing to protect the consumer.
GNA