The National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says it has sanctioned not fewer than 200 satchet water producers across the State.
However, it hinted that it will step up monitoring and surveillance in Diobu axis of Port Harcourt since most contraveners reside in the area.
State Coordinator of the agency in Rivers State, Mrs. Chinelo Ejeh told The Tide in an exclusive chat NAFDAC had shut a bakery and sachet water factory in Diobu area, but that its men had been under threat from hoodlums.
In order to strengthen its activities in the area, she hinted that more enforcement would be carried out in the coming days.
“ Diobu is a major challenge because of the security in the area, but we will not give up. Most of our inspectors have been threatened with violence and so more force will be used to ensure the right things are done, “ Ejeh stated.
The Rivers State NAFDAC Coordinator disclosed that currently, the problem of control stems from incessant sachet water producers,” not less than six different ones are produced daily,and there is no week we don’t carry out an average of eight inspections.
She expressed worry that most of the sachet water were produced in unhygienic environment which poses danger to public health.
Commenting on the issue of bread production, Mrs. Ejeh expressed happiness that bakers are aligning with regulations,” Sometime last year, we bought bread from the market randomly and took them to our laboratory, and fortunately most of them were satisfactory.”
Nonetheless, she pointed out that the area of challenge in bread production is in the use of saccharine.
“ We have said that instead of using saccharine bakers should use sugar ,but for the use of pottasium bromate that one has come down seriously,” she said.
For this year, she disclosed that the agency would intensify monitoring and regulation,” our mandate is to protect lives, especially on foods, drugs, medication and cosmetics.”