The Hindu : Spurious mineral water makers face action

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 13, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Spurious mineral water makers face action

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Feb. 12. A crackdown is proposed by the State Government against manufacturers of mineral water who do not conform to standards and those selling or storing banned items like pan masala, gutka and zarda.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the 16-member State Advisory Committee on implementation of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act under the chairmanship of the Health Minister, Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, here today.

Briefing presspersons, Dr. Siva Prasada Rao said mineral water had been described as a food item under the Act's provisions and had to conform to several standards. Under the latest notification, no person is permitted to manufacture mineral water and packaged drinking water except under the Bureau of Indian Standards of certification requiring them to conform to 48 and 51 characteristics respectively.

The Minister pointed out that mineral water must not only be free from any kind of impurities but contain minerals.

But, experience showed that several brands of mineral water sold in the market were of poor quality but their cost was more than milk. Some manufacturers were palming off to customers borewell water as mineral water.

He said that 123 manufacturing units of mineral and packaged water had challenged the Government's notification by filing 46 petitions in the High Court. The Government had already filed counter-affidavits against these petitions.

On their part, Food Inspectors had conducted surprise raids and lifted 595 samples of mineral water in the last three five years and found 366 samples adulterated. The Food (Health) Authority had issued 328 prosecutions against the vendors and manufacturers for sale of adulterated mineral and packaged drinking water.

Dr. Siva Prasada Rao raids would also be intensified to enforce the ban on manufacture and sale of of pan masala with or without tobacco. Ever since the ban was imposed in December 27, departmental officers had been conducting periodical surprise raids to check the illicit sale. So far, 76,895 packs and over 98,000 grams of gutka had been seized.

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