Some 21 tricycle riders of the Smart Ice Company Limited have been trained on good handling, distribution, and hygiene practices in the water value chain.
The refresher course builds on existing practices to advance consumer safety and avoid contamination.
John Laryea Odai-Tettey, the Western Regional Director of the Foods and Drugs Authority, said at the training that food hygiene was critical to avoid cross-contamination.
He said the authority would work to ensure that regulated products worked in conformity with standards.
Odai-Tettey said the authority had embarked on education for tricycle riders to avoid any form of contamination from storage to distribution.
“We are starting soft, but after education, enforcement will be strict, and offenders will be prosecuted,” he said.
Francis Odum, Principal Regulatory Officer of the FDA, who trained the group, said water was one critical human commodity that required utmost safety from manufacturing through to distribution to avoid diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid.
He encouraged all producers to ensure that processed water was stored on a pallet in a safe environment devoid of odours, sunlight, fuels, waste, or even chemicals.
The Principal Regulatory Officer also urged the riders to cover the water with a tarpaulin, cover the floor of the tricycle with some material to avoid direct contact with the metal plate, avoid overloading, and rebagging.
They are also to ensure constant hand-washing practices, including the application of sanitizers.
Odum said to use noise marks and headgear and never pack the water on bare floors.
Benjamin Asante, the Manager for Smart Ice, was grateful to the FDA for the support to train its riders to ensure that the company continued to stay afloat as one of the top-quality sachet producers in the region.
He said: “Over the years, we have produced and served Ghanaians quality water, and we do not intend to slack, and so we will continue to collaborate with key regulatory agencies for the best results. ”
Wisdom Smart, a rider, was grateful for the retooling.
He promised to even educate his customers in the chain.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com