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The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has urged sachet water producers to ensure that the water they produce are put in recommended vans and not in trucks for distribution to prevent contamination.

Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, Head of Public Relations Department of the GSA said it is unhygienic for water producers to pack water in trucks exposing them to the sun and dust while distributers hang on the trucks and sweating on the bags as they distribute them to the public.

“This mode of water distribution also has standardisation issues as standards apply from the processing level right down to the distribution level,” he said.

Mr Amposah-Bediako was speaking at a ceremony to mark African Day of Standardisation on Friday in Accra.

He advised the public to buy water preferably from designated locations that offer safe sachet water for purchase while urging people who sell sachet water in the open markets to put the products in ice chests, and covered containers to prevent contamination.

The aim of the African Day of Standardisation is to raise awareness among African regulators, industry, academia, consumers and the entire African citizens on the benefits of standardisation on Africa’s economy.

The theme for the 3rd African Day of Standardisation is: “The role of Standards in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and food security in Africa.”

Mr Amponsah-Bediako explained that to produce, manufacture and provide safe and quality products, the provider or supplier must be aware, understand and most importantly use or apply relevant standards.

“For effective promotion of Made in Ghana products, the requirement of relevant standards must be met at each step in the manufacture or production of a product.”

He said the promotion of standards is however the responsibility of stakeholders in the value chain, from the producers or manufactures, suppliers and consumers, government and regulators at each step in the production process from raw materials to packaging and storage.

Mr Charles Amoako, Director of Testing said standards offer quality and safety assurance as well as differentiate and define product categories and such requirements could either facilitate market penetration or act as barriers to market access.

He said the initiative for the African Day of Standardisation was to push for the Standardisation and Conformity Assessment Agenda in Africa to promote sustainable development in Africa.

He said promoting consistency and harmonisation of quality standards for agricultural products and other goods and services should help facilitate trade and promote greater transparency across the value chain.

The benefits that accrue to producers from a more transparent quality standards system should be an incentive for smallholders to invest in production and would support the push for greater regional food security.

“The role of Standards in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security in Africa,” is meant to render the African youth to better prepared to respond to long-term demand growth and encounter various risk factors that confront agricultural production, and ensure farmers participation in the higher agricultural value chains, use of drought-resistant seeds, higher-yielding varieties, safe use of fertilizer and pesticide, effective post-harvest management systems.

Alhaji Adam Mahama, National Coordinator for Youth in Agriculture, Ministry of Food and Agriculture who spoke on: “Ensuring Food Security in Ghana,” educated the participants on the Plant breeders bill and Genetically Modified Organisms, saying the bill is to protect the intellectual right of local scientists who research and come out with findings to boost agricultural production.

He said food security means the availability, affordability and accessibility of food by the people all the time, adding that, government is putting up various interventions to ensure that there is food all the time.

He said such interventions include accessibility of quality seeds through subsidies, fertilizers, mechanisation, technology and science, capital and funding.

He said proper storage, processing, packaging as well as marketing of food produce would all ensure food security in the country.