The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has closed down two sachet water factories in Aluu, Ikwere local government area of Rivers State.
The shutdown is a result of the production of untreated and unregistered sachet water, following credible information received about their activities.
According to NAFDAC officials, one of the factories situated at Omuokiri, Aluu, was found producing ‘THICOONE Table Water’ in an unhygienic environment without proper filtration procedures and UV light.
In a statement by the Public Relations Officer NAFDAC, South-South Zone Port Harcourt Cyril Monye, the facility lacked approval or registration from NAFDAC, with no NAFDAC number printed on the sachets.
The statement said factory workers fled upon sighting NAFDAC officials, who subsequently confiscated equipment and destroyed the packed sachet water.
In another factory within the same area, NAFDAC said, “it was discovered that the facility was cloning/faking two registered sachet water products.
“The owner was apprehended, and over one truckload of sachet water intended for distribution was destroyed, leading to the closure of the factory.”
The agency warned the public, urging them to be cautious of the sachet water they consume.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Onogwu, the Rivers State Coordinator of NAFDAC, addressed sachet water producers during an Association of Table Water Producers, ATWAP meeting in Port Harcourt, emphasizing the necessity for good hygienic practices in water factories.
