Illegal Water Producers Steal Standards Board Seal

Some producers of sachet water in Kumasi have managed to illegally copy the Ghana Standards Authority's (GSA) seal which they have embossed on their products in their bid to deceive the public into consuming the product without suspicion.

The Director of the Standards Authority for the Northern Sector, Mr Kwasi Owusu Boadu, revealed this yesterday at a press conference.

He therefore warned residents of Kumasi to be mindful of the sachet water they consumed, explaining that his outfit’s recent investigations revealed that as many as 190 types of the product were being produced illegally in Kumasi.

He said his outfit had already written to all the 190 culprits and slapped a fine of GH¢200 to be paid before the end of April.

Mr Boadu withheld the identities of the illegal producers saying they had given them a grace period to pay the fine and go through the due process for certification.

"If any of them fail to take the opportunity, we shall go ahead and publish their names in the media and take stiffer measures to stop them," he said.

The GSA boss said similar investigations were either underway or about to start in various areas of the northern sector, stressing that the "indications are that a lot of the producers are illegally using the GSA seal."

He subsequently asked all producers to do the right thing by going for proper certification so the safety of consumers could be guaranteed.

To be certified by the GSA, a producer must have registered with the GSA for personnel of the GSA to supervise and examine the premises of production and practices, and then test samples of the product.

The Finder learnt that it currently costs GH¢350 to go through all the processes to receive certification and that many of the sachet water producers just managed to get the seal embossed on their products without following due processes, which meant that the public could be consuming unwholesome water.

Mr Boadu also raised concern about the continuous sale of second-hand under wear and explained that trade in such wares had been outlawed."We have our men at the various ports that are diligently stopping unscrupulous persons from coming into the country with such illegal products. However, others still manage to steal their way through, but they should be warned because we shall soon descend on them.

"The public must stop patronising these goods. It does not do their health and security any good," Mr Boadu advised. The sale of second-hand underwear and even handkerchiefs is very common and receives high patronage.

Besides the cost considerations, many in the country hold the view that second-hand products, ranging from electrical gadgets to even handkerchiefs, are of a higher quality and thus more durable than a good number of new products on the market.