The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it has suspended the operation of Samdoe Enterprise, a water-producing company located at Community 18, Spintex Road, Accra.

The move, according to the FDA, was necessary after they discovered that the company had been producing and distributing unregistered water in an unhygienic facility.

This was stated in a press release signed by the Chief Executive Officer of FDA, Mrs Delese Darko on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

“The premises of Samdoe Enterprise was closed down as the company has been engaged in the production and distribution of unregistered brands of water products in an unlicensed, unhygienic manufacturing facility.

“The unregistered water products are as follows: (i) Perfect Ice Drinking Water; (ii) Aqua Link Drinking Water; and (iii) Leaders Drinking Water.”

The FDA in their press release stated that the Inspection Team also uncovered some major problems at the premises of Samdoe Enterprise which hindered the safe production of water products.

Operating in an unsuitable wooden structure, the presence of open drains with algae and fungi growth, dirty filters, and no pest control regime were some of the issues the FDA team discovered.

In regard to that, the FDA has cautioned the general public “not to consume the unregistered brands listed above.

“Consumers who have already purchased these products are urged to immediately halt their use and properly dispose of them immediately,” the release stated.

The FDA also warned retailers and distributors to immediately withdraw and disassociate from the said brands on the market.

“It is imperative that consumers exercise caution when selecting water products and opt for products that have been duly registered by the FDA, with an FDA number on the label.

“The public is once again reminded to check the registration status of regulated products from the FDA websitehttp://fdaghana.gov.gh or through the ProPer platform – https://bit.ly/ProPerFDA before purchase,” the release stated.

44 sachet water companies in Accra producing without FDA licence

Unregistered brands

The regulatory standards for sachet water are determined by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), whose regulatory functions include product registration, premises registration and post-approval market surveillance of food and drugs. It also has responsibility for food-and water-borne disease surveillance and investigation, among others.

Despite the work of the FDA, there appear to be hundreds of unlicensed sachet water brands sold in Ghana. In 2022, The Fourth Estate wrote to the FDA for a list of all registered sachet water brands in the Greater Accra Region as of August 2022.

The Fourth Estate then randomly picked 300 used bags of sachet water brands in markets and lorry parks in the Greater Accra Region in order to ascertain those actually registered with the FDA to sell on the market. The specific locations visited were Madina Market, Dodowa Market, Oyibi Station, Tema Community One, Ashaiman, Accra Central (Tema Station, Makola), Agbogbloshie Market, and Kaneshie Station.

The Fourth Estate discovered, after crosschecking with the FDA, that 142 out of the 300 sachet water brands, representing 47.3% of the sample, were not registered with the FDA.