sexta-feira, 30 de abril de 2010

18 water bottling plants found violating regulations in Jeddah

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS



JEDDAH: Municipal authorities here have detected violations of health regulations by 18 water bottling plants in the city.
Some 133 samples taken from these factories during last Hijri month (Rabi Al-Thani) were found to be not suitable for drinking, according to Basheer Abu Najm, director of the department of licensing and commercial monitoring at the municipality.
He said that Jeddah has of late witnessed a big increase in the number of water bottling factories, which has necessitated the introduction of regulations to ensure that these factories comply with safety and health standards.
“Insufficient processing machines, lack of safety and security measures, bad storage of water, as well as factories not having a lab specialist and using faulty packaging were to blame in this respect,” he added.
On his part, Ali Al-Ghamdi, head of the food monitoring section at the department, said that water bottling plants must comply with the general regulations and safety conditions issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
These included terms and conditions with regard to the space of the plant, its volume of production as well as health and safety regulations. “If it was found that the water was not suitable for drinking and that it was contaminated with bacteria, then a fine up to SR5,000 shall be slapped on the owner.
The seized quantities of the product will also be destroyed. The plant will be allowed to continue operation only if necessary cleaning and sterilization works were done,” he said.
Arab News