The Government Analyst/Food & Drug Department said on Friday that it has launched an investigation in order to take appropriate action against unlicensed and unauthorized distributors of drinking water.
According to the release, the department has received complaints that unauthorized distributors are misleading customers to believe that they are purchasing sealed five gallon (18.93 litres) bottles of water from established processing facilities in Guyana.
Moreover, results of microbiological analyses of samples of water submitted from five gallon bottles with sealed caps not displaying the manufacturing or processing company were invariably found to be microbiologically unsatisfactory, the release stated.
It was reported that these distributors are unlawfully utilizing the labels of registered manufacturing premises and are sealing it with an unstamped cap seal that is a generic seal without the name of the manufacturing entity.
The Food & Drug Department said further that drinking water that is packaged or bottled by unlicensed premises is unlawful and the department cannot attest to the safety of products coming from such premises.
All manufacturers and distributors must have a valid licence permanently displayed at the premises, which is the evidence of compliance with sanitary and safety concerns.
