Mr George Pentsil, the Eastern Regional Officer of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), has expressed concern that many sachet water producers were flouting operating standards, prescribed by the Board.
He advised owners and supervisors of sachet water factories, to ensure that their workers complied with the operating standards, to guarantee the safety of sachet water being sold to consumers or face sanctions.
Mr Pentsil said the operating standards that involved dressing, environment and use of equipment were compromised at the blind side of the owners and supervisors, and it was important for them to check their workers.
He was speaking at a training workshop for sachet water producers in Koforidua, to educate them on how to maintain their environment and standards of manufacturing, to ensure the production of safe water for consumers.
He said sachet water producing factories should have washing sink with soap, and tissue for the core staff in the production room.
Mr Pentsil asked workers at such factories, who do not work under the required conditions, should report their employers to the FDB for the appropriate action.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the FDB's monitoring exercise in the region indicated that many of the sachet water production factories had compromised standards at the expense of the consumers’ health.
Mr Pentsil said that the monitoring revealed that many of the facilities in the region were using dirty filters without "UV lights" which were the last stage of filtration to reduce contamination of the sealed water, whiles others had constructed boreholes close to septic tanks.
Mr Pentsil said the FDB had embarked on intensive education on the proper way of producing sachet water throughout the region.
Topics discussed included hygiene practices at the work place, packaging and distribution of water and proper storage of finished product to avoid contamination.