* Restates all food products must be labelled, date-marked

Isola Moses

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it will begin raid of factories producing and selling sachet water without expiry dates and approved codes in Kaduna State.

Agency report stated that Mr. Natim Mullah-Dadi, Kaduna State Coordinator of NAFDAC, made the disclosure in an interview Tuesday, January 28.

“Our target this year (2020) 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,” Mr. Mullah-Dadi declared.

He said the regulatory agency had made it compulsory for all food products to be labelled and date-marked in order for consumers to know the manufacturers and expiration dates.

“Last year, 17 factories were closed down in the state as part of efforts towards ending the production of substandard packaged water.

He urged producers of packaged water to comply with the agencies requirement for proper labelling and hygienic production.

“We are taking actions this year, including the puncturing of non-compliance packaged water and unhygienic water that is produced for human consumption,” he stressed.

Mullah-Dadi added that during the raid in 2019, the agency was alarmed at the unhygienic environment in which some producers of illegal sachet water facilities operated.

AT the time, loosed parts of water packaging machines, packaged water samples and a generator set were confiscated during the exercise, he noted.

Meanwhile, 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.

All packaged water brands are only fit for consumption within two months of production, he disclosed.