The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Tuesday said it will begin raid of factories producing and selling sachet water without expiry date and approved code in Kaduna State.
Mr Natim Mullah-Dadi, the Kaduna State Coordinator of the agency, made the disclosure during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“Our Target this year is to place emphasis on clean and healthy water. We are sanctioning them because majority of the factories are still struggling to date mark and batch code their packaged water.
“This year, we want to ensure that all packaged water in the market is date marked and batch coded because we have found out that most of them relocate and change factories from one area to another,” he said.
He said the agency has made it compulsory for all food products to be labeled and date marked in order for consumers to know the manufactured and expiration date.
“Last year, 17 factories were closed down in the state as part of efforts towards ending the production of substandard packaged water.
“We are taking actions this year including; the puncturing of non-compliance packaged water and unhygienic water that is produced for human consumption.”
He urged producers of packaged water to comply with the agencies requirement for proper labeling and hygienic production.
Mullah-Dadi said that during the raid in 2019, the agency was alarmed at the unhygienic environment in which some producers of illegal sachet water facilities operated.
He disclosed that loosed parts of water packaging machines, packaged water samples and a generator set were confiscated during the exercise.
He warned illegal sachet water producers to desist from the act, as their quest for quick money is endangering public health.
The coordinator urged residents not to patronise any packaged water without NAFDAC number and date of production.
He revealed that all packaged water are only fit for consumption within two months of production. (NAN)