THE Government Analyst-Food & Drug Department is calling on all water processing factories to confirm to all the department’s requirements as it relates to the sale and distribution of treated water in five gallon bottles.

Manufacturers and distributors must have a valid license, issued by the department which is an indicator of their compliance to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s). Also bottles used must be properly cleaned, sanitised, labeled and sealed, the department said in a press release on Thursday.

Additionally, the department said no funnel should be used to transfer water to bottles prior to sale and/or distribution and advised consumers that when purchasing treated water from various water processing factories to ensure they are properly labeled and sealed and to report any company that fails to comply with the department’s requirements as it relates to the sale of treated water to the general public. Consumers making purchases should demand to see a valid license issued by the Food and Drugs Department.

“Again premises that are involved in the processing, distribution and sale of drinking water particularly in five gallon bottles must be in possession of a valid license.

The department said it recently conducted an exercise over a six-month period where 87 water samples were collected and submitted for analysis from 29 water processing facilities in the Georgetown and Greater Georgetown areas. Samples were analysed for microbiological and chemical parameters to verify compliance with safety requirements. Of the twenty nine facilities that samples were taken from, eleven were found to be operating without the necessary License from the Department.

Of the eighty seven samples submitted for analysis, fifteen (15) or 17% were found to be unsatisfactory. “The department is therefore calling on all water processors to ensure that they are in possession of a valid License from the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) for the current year and to ensure that they observe Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’S) to guarantee consumers that water being processed and sold to the general public is safe. Processors who insist on operating without a valid License will be asked to cease operation and in the coming months this exercise will be repeated and a list of approved facilities will be published.”

Additionally, efforts and communication will be had at our upcoming National Food Safety and Control Committee (NFSCC) meeting to be hosted on 7th August, 2018 in the department’s boardroom, where Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) in the respective regions and areas outside of Georgetown and Greater Georgetown will be asked to initiate similar inspection, sampling and submission exercise.