The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said on Monday it would begin a re-certification and monitoring of sachet water producers in the country in March.
NAFDAC’s Director of Special Duties, Mr Abubakar Jimoh, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the modalities for the exercise were being worked out by officials of the agency.
“We have the newly acquired mobile laboratory kit.
“It is just like a van that is already equipped with latest ultra-modern testing kit that we are going to use, moving with that vehicle from one factory to another, combing the entire country.
“So, that exercise will take off in March, but the preparatory work is already begun, we are addressing the water producers trying to ensure they key into the programme.
“So by March it is going to be started jointly by the Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control in collaboration with the Senate Committee on Health.
“Those who fail the test, we will clamp down on them; close them and ensure that they do not offer to the member of the public packaged water that will be unwholesome.
“So, it is going to be a continuous exercise”.
According to him, the agency will carry out a similar exercise in 2013 and hopes to improve on the last episode in 2014 owing to the issues discovered during the previous exercise.
Jimoh said the agency would prosecute producers of unwholesome packaged water meant for the public.
He said the agency would give producers who could not meet the required standard set by the agency a checklist and guidelines on what to do to improve the quality of water they produced.
He also said that the agency would support manufacturers willing to improve their production process as it would help create job opportunities for Nigerians. (NAN)
