The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed 10 packaged water companies in Ondo State over non-compliance with the regulation and standards.

The Ondo State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr Benu Philip, disclosed this in an interview with NAN in Akure, the state capital on Sunday.

Philip said the affected companies which spread across the state, had their premises sealed between January and June.

He said all the affected companies were operating with expired licence and producing in an unhygienic environment.

“In addition to locking the facilities, the companies will pay an administrative charge for late renewal of their registration licence and submit necessary documents for the renewal process,” he said.

Philip stated that the licence issued was not forever, adding that renewal periods should be sustained to avoid regulatory interruption.

He enjoined Nigerians to always look out for the NAFDAC registration number on sachet and bottled water, batch information and date markings.

“Our mandate, specifically, is to ensure, regulate and control the manufacturing of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and chemicals, which we refer to as regulated products.

“What we do in Ondo State majorly is to engage the stakeholders to keep them abreast of our mandate, to ensure that they follow the rules.

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“Most of the packaged water, popularly called ‘pure water’, that I know of in Ondo State since I came on board, have been operating with expired licence.

“The licence is the marketing authorisation that enables you to sell your product in the market as verified and safe for consumption.

“Once you have that number on your certificate, it shows that you have gone through the regulatory processes to ensure that you make safe products to the consuming public but it is not forever; it has a timeline,” he said.

The NAFDAC coordinator, however, stated that the agency will continue to collaborate with other agencies to ensure its set goals and targets were achieved.

The Star