Six packaged drinking water units sealed in Chennai

A team of officials has sealed six packaged drinking water units in Chennai for selling without licence and poor manufacturing practices

A team of officials has sealed six packaged drinking water units in Chennai for selling without licence and poor manufacturing practices.

A team of officials from the Food Safety Department, the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) took up a joint inspection of 19 packaged drinking water units in the city on Friday.

“Apart from our regular inspections, we have launched a month-long drive to check unauthorised selling of packaged drinking water,” said P. Satheesh Kumar, designated officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai.

The team came across a tank inside one of the units that was filled with water supplied through lorries and supplied as packaged drinking water, he said. Of the 19 units inspected, six were sealed for supplying without licences and poor manufacturing practices.

Consumers who purchase packaged drinking water should look for proper labelling that should have the name and address of the manufacturer and contact details. The label should have ISI and BIS mark and FSSAI licence details. “The sealed cover on the water can should compulsorily carry the date. The can needs to be 88% see-through, and consumers should not accept cans that are dirty or filled with scratch marks,” he said.

Transportation of packaged drinking water requires FSSAI licence, he added. “In addition, every unit should have a microbiology lab to test the water for quality. We checked the chemicals in these labs and found that the bottles did not have any expiry date,” he said.

Members of the public can call the Food Safety Department on phone number 9444042322 if they came across any unauthorised selling of packaged drinking water.