The Food and Drugs Boards (FDB) has identified and blacklisted more sachet water production companies bringing the number of blacklisted companies to 48, and promising to fish out more unwholesome water producers. Some of the companies are: Evergreen Drinking Water, Virgin Fresh, Yes, 101, Fresh Drop Filtered Drinking Water, Potential Filtered Drinking Water, Bonjour Drinking Water, Flashy Cool, Acqua Chill and Advance Fresh. The board last week blacklisted 28 companies for failing to meet the required standards under which they could produce water for consumption. Dr Mohammed Alfa, Head of the Animal products and Biosafety Department of the FDB, told Joy FM Super Morning Show, Monday, that the board will be ruthless in dealing with companies producing water under unhygienic condition as well as those who have hired the services of unqualified person to work for them. The FDB’s action comes in the wake of a research report released by the Ghana Chemical Society (GCS) which revealed that 85% of the ‘pure’ water produced in the country does not meet required safety standards, in addition to the recent cholera outbreak. “Unhygienic conditions”, Dr Mohammed Alfa explained, “are conditions that can predispose the whole process and, indeed, the final product to contamination, and the Food and Drugs Laws frowns upon that. You cannot produce food under unhygienic condition neither can you produce food under the supervision of unqualified people.” “This is just the beginning,” Dr Alfa noted, and assured that his outfit will continue to publish the names of blacklisted companies for public safety. Companies duly registered and are considered to be producing wholesome products would also be made public. He said offices of those companies banned have been locked up and their products removed from the market to prevent people from patronizing them. The producers have also been handed over to the police, he said. Often, government institutions are accused of being lax in enforcing rules and regulation but the Head of the Animal products and Biosafety Department promised: “This is not a nine-day wonder.” He warned all unregistered companies to register with the FDB as well as those who have registered but are producing under unhygienic condition to do the right thing before the law catches up with them. So far, only one company, though registered, has been shutdown in Kumasi for producing under unhygienic condition. Dr Mohammed Alfa conceded that some companies have taken advantage of the FDB’s limited resources - which makes regular surveillance and monitory difficult - to flout the law. However, he said, their zonal offices have been tasked to undertake regular surveillance to arrest unwholesome sachet water producers and other unhealthy goods. The public have been advised by the FBD to be vigilant when buying bottled water since some fraudulent people have resorted to refilling empty bottles with untreated water, the public have therefore been asked to check the quality of the water and most importantly ensure that it is properly sealed. Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana