We’re doing our best to ensure safety of the public – FDA
Media reports making rounds about the low quality and safe source of water used by sachet water producing companies for production and the need for the Food and Drugs Authority to be vigilant have caught the attention of the regulatory authority.
In response, the authority indicated that the responsibility it has to properly protect consumers as enshrined in the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), regarding packaged water (bottled and sachet), it makes sure that water is safe for consumption by licensing the premises where the product is manufactured whiles the final products are also registered.
The FDA explained in a statement that on August 8, 2022 that it regularly inspect such manufacturing facilities as enshrined in the FDA guidelines.
“The inspection covers the starting material (water) and packaging materials to ensure that they meet their respective Ghana Standards, and the finished products to meet the requirement of GS175-1:2002 (for drinking water) and GS220:2014 (for mineral water). All inspections are done by the current Codes of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) where end products are released by the above-stated specifications,” it said.
Per laid down procedure regarding the FDA registration process, tests are supposed to be conducted by the laboratory to establish the presence or otherwise of microorganisms which is a critical parameter for the safety of drinking water.
“These include tests for E. coli, total coliforms, Aerobic Plate Count, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus faecalis, and Clostridium perfringens. Finally, the Authority wants to assure the public that it conducts periodic market surveillance and product quality analyses of products in circulation on the market. Trend analysis from the FDA laboratory has not shown the observation described in the media.
“The public is strongly advised to patronize only registered sachet and bottled water manufactured in Ghana that bears the FDA product registration numbers. Kindly report any unregistered sachet and bottled water at the nearest FDA office,” the statement said.
Regarding the safety of drinking water in the market, producers of Verna Mineral Water recently recalled their water due to some defects which have sparked conversation across the country.
Products that are being recalled have the batch numbers TW/5 20:14 B, TW/5 20: 15 B, TW/5 20: 16 B, TW/ 5 20: 17 B, TW/ 5 20: 22 B.
Twellium company limited, the producers of the said product, explained that it was voluntarily recalling the products with those batch numbers “to ensure our consumers have the experience they deserve”.
The management also stated that it is important for consumers to understand the transportation and proper handling of water to make it safe for consumption.
They further assured that their product which is Verna Water is produced under the strictest supervision of the FDA and the Ghana Standard Authority which ensures the water is kept t safe for consumption and certified by the ISO and HACCP.
