Group urges NAFDAC to sensitise members against unhealthy practices

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) has urged the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to assist it to sensitise its members against exposing table and sachet water to unhealthy practices.

The Enugu State Chairman of ATWAP, Mr Tony Edike, made the appeal while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Friday on the challenges being faced by ATWAP members.

Edike, who noted some unhealthy practices by table water distributors and retailers in the state, said that the negative practices were on the storage of water products.

“We have noticed that packaged water products are exposed to excruciating sun or kept on bare floors usually in front of shops from where they are sold to consumers.

“This affects the taste of the packaged water which is not healthy for consumers as the products could be easily contaminated.

“We wish to appeal to NAFDAC to partner with our association in conducting periodic sensitisation and seminars for water dealers and retailers in major cities of the state.

“With this, we can enlighten all the water producing business owners and its value-chain and service providers on best practices to stem the danger of consuming unhealthy packed water,” he said.

The chairman also solicited NAFDAC continued partnership in the association’s efforts to sanitise the operation of its members.

“This will help the association to ensure strict compliance to guiding rules of producing table water in the state, as my team has already commenced a self-examination of members in this regard.

Edike said that his executive since coming into office in November 2022 had continued and “still doing regular sensitisation of members to always maintain standard operating procedures as outlined by NAFDAC”.

The chairman also decried the recent rising cost of production of packaged water, adding that the various items needed for the production had witnessed an increase in price recently.

Edike said that it is becoming very difficult for its members to maintain production and meet up with customer demand under the current high cost of production.

“We are appealing to our esteemed customers and the public that very soon the price might be reviewed and there will certainly be a slight adjustment to current price per unit,” he said.

(NAN)