Water/ice processing industry being scrutinised

Jan 17, 2014 News

– Food and Drug Department

– training being recommended to improve operation

The operations of water and ice processors across the country came under the microscope yesterday when the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department spearheaded an interactive sensitization meeting.
The forum, held at the Regency Suites/Hotel, was prompted by a number of complaints within the water processing industry ranging from the use of funnels in the water distribution to some operators opting to use their competitors’ labels.
At least this is according to Director of the Food and Drug Department, Marlan Cole, who related that there were other concerns such as “persons refilling empty bottles at outlets that are not necessarily water processing outlets; we had problems with persons not using seal in the distribution process; we had problems as it relates to sterilisation.”
According to Cole, the meeting was in fact a necessary undertaking, since according to him “some of the practices that obtain in the industry today have spiralled out of control and are questionable…”
In light of the concerns, Cole said that letters were dispatched to all operators within the local water/ice processing industry with a view of having them addressed forthwith.
The meeting yesterday was attended by a cross-section of those operators along with other stakeholders, including environmental officers, who are tasked with monitoring the processing of water and ice.
And in helping to raise the bar in the industry, the Food and Drug Director said that moves will be made shortly to stipulate that re-filling outlets must offer a sterilising service to consumers. This, according to Cole, is in fact among the recommended features to enable an improve water and ice processing operation. Cole noted that although anyone with the relevant requirements is able to commence a water distribution operation, such an operation can be greatly improved with training.
As a result, those in attendance were enlightened to the fact that the relevant training could be had at EMPRETEC Guyana, which is a non–profit institution said to have “a mission of enhancing private sector development by providing support to established and emerging small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”
EMPRETEC Guyana was represented by a very vocal Ms Marilyn Collins, who formerly operated in the capacity of Director of the Food and Drug Department.
And the training available at EMPRETEC, Cole said, is being amplified in light of the fact that “sooner rather than later the bar will be further raised as it relates to the (water/ice processing) facilities. All of this is in the interest of the consumer; not to promote any one entity or not to promote EMPRETEC.”
According to him, the collaboration with EMPRETEC is in fact designed to ensure that the operators had a local avenue to secure needful training to help improve their operations. He did note, though, that there are overseas training options as well.
Also speaking at yesterday’s meeting was Consumer Affairs Officer, Ms Kishana Archer of the Consumer Affairs Bureau, who disclosed that “the importance of standards for water is not only emphasised because we are calling you (operators) all here to have a conversation in this nice building, but Consumers International, which is a worldwide organisation with over 250 member states, also felt the need to say how water is used is important…”
In this regard, the body in 2004 highlighted the theme “Consumer and Water”, which according to Archer, speaks to the fact that consumers have the right to clean, healthy and safe water at all times.
“By doing this they challenged member states to implement regulations so that everyone will be able to enjoy the benefits of good, clean water.”
The entire venture of streamlining the water/ice processing sector is being done in collaboration with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS). And according to Ms Candelle Bostwick-Walcott, who functions as Head, Conformity Assessment Unit at GNBS, that entity is prepared to extend its product certification scheme beyond gold jewellery and PVC pipes. She disclosed that GNBS had in fact approached the Food and Drug Department since around 2009 to explore the initiative of ensuring that water processors are certified to the national standard.
“Since then we have been working collaboratively to streamline our policies and strategies as to how it will be implemented,” said Bostwick-Walcott, who noted that yesterday’s meeting represented the first resulting forum to sensitise stakeholders.
Although the water operators are expected to be licenced on an annual basis by the Food and Drug Department by March 31, the fact that training has been recommended for their improved operation has seen the time being extended to June 30 instead.