More checks on bottled water

BANGKOK: To ensure that bottled water is safe to drink the Food and Drug Administration will increase monitoring of bottling plants in Bangkok.

The move is part of a Public Health Ministry strategy launched yesterday to raise food-safety standards to the highest level in the world as part of the campaign to make 2004 the “Year of Hygiene”, said FDA deputy secretary-general Dr Sathaphorn Wongcharoen.

Bottling plants in Bangkok will have to meet a global standard called GMP, or good manufacturing practice, Sathaphorn said.

A recent FDA survey found that most small-scale bottling plants in Bangkok had fallen below the GMP standard, increasing the risk of contamination and disease, Sathaphorn said. The FDA will conduct regular checks on bottled drinking water and publish the results in the media. Producers who fall below FDA standards could see their licences revoked if they fail to improve standards within two months, Sathaphorn said.

--The Nation 2003-11-30

The moral here Geogie, is to stick to Beer Chang. As you have always said, water is for washing yourself, the clothes, and the car. .

I think it was WC Fields that once said that he never drank water because fish #### in it.

According to G K Chesterton in 'Wine and Water (1914) Noah said to his wife when he sat down to dine 'I don't care where the water goes, if it doesn't get into the wine'

Update:

Warning to small-scale bottled water producers

Contamination risk, threat to licences

BANGKOK: Most small-scale producers of bottled drinking water fail to adopt good manufacturing practices (GMP), posing a risk of contamination, Food and Drug Administration deputy secretary-general Sathaporn Wongcharoen said.

Dr Sathaporn said in random checks a majority of brands produced at small factories and shophouses failed to meet GMP standards.

The FDA had invited all producers of bottled drinking water to a meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday, when they would be advised on how to address their shortcomings, he said.

In addition, Dr Sathaporn said earlier revelations that some food manufacturers also failed to meet GMP standards had prompted many stores to reject their goods.

As a result, many had adjusted their production processes accordingly, well within the FDA's 60-day deadline.

Dr Sathaporn said FDA officials would re-examine the operations of all firms in question once they had been warned, before deciding later this month if any of the firms should have their licences suspended.

--The Post 2003-12-01

Just a personal experiance to offer. Never let the Bartender or anybody open you Nam (Plau) as I did have a problem with refilled bottles. Go a bat one in a bar in the PM in Patong. I hope all know that refilled bottles at night where people are getting food from street vendors is not all that common.

So...Make sure that little seal is proper or you'll be booming the hong nam for about 24 hours. I have some VERY strong meds from HMO and Cipro 500 mg and some good butt stopper took to the next day.

Just wondering if they check the water in the cloudy plastic bottles.

The water tastes like sh__t

So someone finally admitted that the water we drink isn't quite as clean as we thought.

Thanks,............................

The cheap locally brewed drinking water in the approx. 0,9 liter bottles sometimes tastes of plastic a little bit. Always wondered if it would pass the test in Europe or the US.

This is an old topic, from 2003.

To avoid confusion, closed.