Hanoi fines many bottled water establishments that do not ensure quality

Seven food production facilities, including six companies producing purified drinking water and bottled drinking water and one company producing ready-to-use ice, have just been fined by the Hanoi Department of Health Inspectorate for failing to ensure quality.

Accordingly, 6 establishments producing purified drinking water and bottled drinking water that self-declared products with microbiological indicators not in accordance with National Technical Regulation No. 6-1:2010/BYT for natural mineral water and bottled drinking water issued on June 2, 2010 by the Ministry of Health were fined 35 million VND/establishment.

Illustration photo.

In addition, these 6 facilities will also be suspended from operation for 2 months from July 18, 2024, along with regulations requiring the recall and change of use of violating products that do not ensure food safety.

Specifically, these 6 production facilities include: Praha Pure Water Company Limited (No. 1, Alley 231/17, Nguyen Van Linh Street, Phuc Dong Ward, Long Bien District) produces Praha bottled drinking water products (Production date: June 10, 2024; Expiry date: 12 months from the date of manufacture, specification 18.9 l/bottle).

Tuan Nguyen Investment Company Limited (Dao Duy Tung Street, Nghia Lai, Uy No Commune, Dong Anh District) produces Akin bottled drinking water products (Production date: June 17, 2024; Expiry date: 12 months, specification 19.8 l/bottle).

Trong Thai Company Limited (No. 149, Group 4, Thach Ban Street, Thach Ban Ward, Long Bien District) produces New Avina bottled drinking water (Production date: June 13, 2024; Expiry date: June 13, 2025, specification 18.9 l/bottle).

Duc Trung General Production and Trading Company Limited (Cam 2 village, Co Bi commune, Gia Lam district) produces Thien Ngan bottled drinking water (Production date: June 10, 2024; Expiry date: June 10, 2025, specification 18.9 l/bottle).

Tuan Tu Production and Trading Investment Company Limited (No. 52, Lane 83, An Hamlet, Trieu Khuc Village, Tan Trieu Commune, Thanh Tri District) produces Ocean bottled drinking water products (Production date: June 11, 2024; Expiry date: 12 months, 18.9 liters/bottle).

Hapro Pure Water Joint Stock Company (Hamlet 9, Le Chi Commune, Gia Lam District) produces Hapro bottled drinking water products (Production date: June 11, 2024; Expiry date: June 11, 2026, 18.9 liters/bottle).

In addition to the 6 companies mentioned above, Kim Cuong Service Company Limited (No. 3, Lane 1160, Lang Street, Lang Thuong Ward, Dong Da District) produces Kim Cuong instant ice products (Production date: June 12, 2024; Expiry date: 2 months from the date of manufacture; Specification: 5kg/bag) which is subject to self-declaration of products with microbiological indicators not in accordance with Technical Regulation No. 10:2011/BYT dated January 13, 2011 of the Ministry of Health on national technical regulations for instant ice; trading and circulating on the market food products (Kim Cuong instant ice) not in accordance with the announced standards, the value of the violated batch consumed is nearly 1.5 million VND.

The City Health Department Inspectorate has imposed an administrative fine of over VND37 million on Kim Cuong Service Company Limited; at the same time, it has suspended all ice production activities for 2 consecutive months, starting from July 18, 2024, and forced the destruction of products that do not ensure food safety.

It is known that on the market today there are many types of bottled water with diverse types sold at grocery stores, traditional markets, households...

Besides products from professional beverage companies with long-standing brands and reputations, there are also many bottled water products from private establishments or of unknown origin.

Most of these products follow the names of familiar products and brands, similar in packaging design, style, color, size, capacity... causing confusion for buyers if they do not observe carefully.

Regarding the risk of bottled water not meeting quality standards, according to food expert Nguyen Duy Thinh, it is impossible to distinguish the safety of the product with the naked eye.

Poor quality bottled purified water can contain a lot of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and excessive amounts of Mg and Ca ions, along with pathogenic microorganisms: E.Coli, Clostridium perfringens, Streptococcus faecalis.

Toxic impurities and bacteria in drinking water directly enter the body, causing a series of digestive, excretory, and infectious diseases. Long-term accumulation can lead to cancer.

Nowadays, as the demand for bottled water increases, especially during the hot summer, the increase in new brands is inevitable, but the quality of these drinks is a concern.

If the water is not safe, regular use can bring many health risks. Mildly, it can cause micronutrient deficiency, affect skin diseases, seriously, it can lead to many dangerous diseases, even poisoning, cancer...

Meanwhile, according to functional sectors, currently spontaneous bottled water production facilities are springing up like mushrooms.

Households organize their own production and often do it secretly at home. If they do not register, it is very difficult for authorities to detect, leading to difficulties in management.

In order to effectively conduct inspections and checks, the Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health, reminds localities that when inspecting ice for immediate use, it is necessary to focus on checking the quality of the water source used in production; ensuring standards on biochemistry, microbiology...

As for bottled drinking water, in addition to checking the quality of the water source used for production, the physical and chemical standards, microbiology... according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, it is necessary to check the sensory aspects, such as: The bottle must be new, not dirty, not dented, deformed, crushed, punctured; the water must not have a strange color or smell.

Also according to the representative of the Ministry of Health, although there are many different designs, types and differences; all bottled water product groups must comply with current regulations such as bottled water production facilities must have product filling areas that are closed, separate from other areas and equipped with air sterilization systems.

There must be an area for washing and sterilizing bottles and containers containing products. Bottles and containers used for the first time or reused must be cleaned, sterilized, and rinsed thoroughly before bottling (except for bottles and containers used for the first time that are produced using closed technology with sterilization).

In addition, sterilization, disinfection of products, and sterilization of packaging using specialized equipment using ultraviolet technology, ozone technology and/or other technologies does not affect product quality and safety.

In addition, bottled water production facilities must have a department to control bottle hygiene and water quality; have sufficient records to store test results from water source exploitation to finished products according to regulations for each product batch...

According to experts, consumers should choose products with clear origin, reputable brands, using modern production lines, and ensuring food safety standards.

When buying a bottled or canned water product, consumers need to check the appearance. The bottle must be new, not dirty, not dented, deformed, crushed, punctured, etc.

On the body, consumers should carefully observe the label to see if it complies with regulations, especially regarding the origin, date of manufacture, expiry date, and whether it has a certificate of conformity.

In addition, consumers should note that when buying clean ice for food and drink, the ice must be contained in sealed, hygienic packaging with full labels and manufacturer's name.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ha-noi-phat-nhieu-co-so-nuoc-dong-chai-khong-dam-bao-chat-luong-d220812.html