The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has invited the operation managers of four table water production factories for failing to meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
The factories include Oral Water and Logistics Limited, producers of Yireh Yaweh Table Water in Jikwoyi, and Le-Starlight Table Water in Jikwoyi, Abuja.
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Others are Daraja Table Water and Iris Table Water and Beverages, producers of Siris Table Water, located in the Karshi, Nasarawa axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NAFDAC also sealed and locked the four factories during its enforcement operations in Abuja on Monday.
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The Subunit Head of NAFDAC’s Mararaba Office, Wilberforce-Glory Albert, explained that the agency initiated the raid due to concerns over the quality of water produced by these factories.
Mrs Albert stated that all the facilities sealed had poor GMP practices, necessitating immediate action to rectify the situation.
She pointed out that several of these factories lacked pallets for stacking their finished products, and some did not have a production manager to ensure GMP compliance.
She also highlighted that some facilities were operating without licences, lacked proper packaging materials, had no building lights, and had staff that were not properly kitted, all of which contributed to the poor GMP.
“These are the reasons we sealed the facilities and invited them for further investigation at NAFDAC’s office,” she said.
She further disclosed that the raid in the area marked the beginning of broader enforcement actions, as NAFDAC had established a new office to oversee Mararaba, Keffi, Nyanya, Jikwoyi, and Kurudu.
“This new office falls under the FCT Directorate and is known as “Greater FCT.”
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Mrs Albert warned producers in the area to be cautious of producing substandard products, emphasising that the law would catch up with those who continued to operate improperly.
“This raid will continue. We’ve just started, and we won’t stop until these factories comply with GMP standards,” she said.
“There is no hiding place for producers of substandard products, everyone must do the right thing, obtain the necessary licenses, and produce under proper conditions.”
She also revealed that some of the sealed facilities claimed to be registered with NAFDAC but could not provide the required documentation, which was another reason for their invitation to the agency.
She urged them to bring all relevant documents to NAFDAC’s office.
The NAFDAC team lead added that the factories would be required to pay for any sanctions imposed by the agency.
“If their licenses had expired, they would also need to pay for renewals and investigation charges,” she said.
NAFDAC emphasised its commitment to investigating and taking action against any other illegal activities being carried out by these factories.
(NAN)
