Improving sachet water quality – does Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points apply?

Abstract

Sachet water is growing in importance as a source of drinking water for many people in Nigeria. In recent years, doubts over the quality of sachet water have grown. Commentators often cite poor distribution and storage practice for contamination of sachets. However, the integrity of the production process has been shown to be a weakness but has not received attention from the regulator or producers because of a lack of proper regulation of the industry. This study implemented the hazards analysis and critical control points (HACCP) framework in eight sachet water factories in Ibadan, Nigeria. The objective was to test HACCP's viability as a proactive management tool for improving sachet water quality. The findings show that HACCP can be adopted within the sachet water industry. However, the implementation of HACCP requires both technical and behavioural changes within the production process.bs_bs_banner Water and Environment Journal. Print

From curiosity to commodity: a review of the evolution of sachet drinking water in West Africa

“…An Accra‐based study noted the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sachets in the absence of fecal contamination, suggesting that the bacteria was probably colonizing internal fittings of the filling machines and recontaminated the filtered water during production . This Pseudomonas finding signals a need for quality control to refocus on equipment maintenance and hygiene, an approach that may require technical and behavioral changes within the production process . With over six times Ghana's population, Nigeria has experienced slower industry maturation and greater regulatory challenges, and thus, we continue to see poor sachet quality reflected in Nigerian studies as demonstrated in a 2015 review of case reports primarily from Nigeria, but also including Ghana, India, and Egypt …”

“…88 This Pseudomonas finding signals a need for quality control to refocus on equipment maintenance and hygiene, an approach that may require technical and behavioral changes within the production process. 148 With over six times Ghana's population, Nigeria has experienced slower industry maturation and greater regulatory challenges, and thus, we continue to see poor sachet quality reflected in Nigerian studies as demonstrated in a 2015 review of case reports primarily from Nigeria, but also including Ghana, India, and Egypt. 149 The overall picture yields several trends that have important implications for reducing water insecurity as sachet water continues to diffuse across Africa.…”

Safety management system of machine-building production

“…Each of the sub-processes consists of several elements (activities): the documentation development (design and technology, respectively); analysis of the developed documentation to meet the requirements in the field of product safety; expertise; approval of the document final version. The result of this phase implementation becomes the approved technical documentation, taking into account the safety requirements of both the product design and the technological equipment used in the production [11][12][13].…”

Reflections on ‘Microbiological quality of packaged water sold in Accra, Ghana’

“…Hopefully in the near future, more studies on this drinking water option in developing nations will emerge with design criteria that (i) pre-identifies core management issues to be addressed and (ii) seeks to answer specific questions vital to policy decision making (as attempted in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point study by Opatunji & Odhiambo, 2013). The envisioned future begins now.…”