The National Agency For
Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has assured the general public of the quality of satchet water and other regulated products being produced in the state.
The state coordinator of the agency, Mrs Mercy Ndukwe, who said this, while reviewing the activities of the agency in the state also said that NAFDAC is working with Assocition of Table Water Proprietors (ATWAP) to ensure effective monitoring of waters produced in the state.
“NAFDAC regularly pays unscheduled visits to water factories and collect samples which are sent to the laboratories for analysis and on a general scale the results have been satisfactory.
“We also embarked on water monitoring exercise last year which was generally successful and all registered packaged water were analysed by NAFDAC Consultant, Emani Global Network Limited (MGML) and those with minor lapses were corrected,” she said.
The coordinator said that the agency has intensified its routine inspections and over 30 sanctions have been applied on some factories, establishments, Super Markets, Pharmacies, Patent Medicine Stores and other business outlets.
According to her”, in the past four months, administrative fines have been meted out to some patent medicine stores found to be selling ethical or prescription drugs.
“Packaged water producers who violate procedural rules bakeries, cold rooms etc had been sanctioned and made to pay administrative fines for some minor infractions”.
Mrs Ndukwe also said that her team recently arrested two girls hawking expired and relabeled Avron non alcoholic drink along NTA Road and confiscated more than ten cartons of the offensive product.
She further said that the activities of NAFDAC have reduced the incidence of drug hawking to the barest minimum and reiterated the determination to permanently stamp out the ugly trend.
She called on the public to be on the watch out and volunteer information to the agency whenever they suspect any incidence of fake products.