Nacada introduces new regulations for brewers in bid to curb liquor deaths

The National Agency for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) has come up with new regulations for brewers and distillers to curb deaths emanating from consumption of unhealthy alcohol.

Nacada chairman John Mututho has said brewers and distillers who will not comply with the new regulations will have their factories closed down.

Speaking in Thika when he made an impromptu visit to Vine Park limited, Mr Mututho said the new regulations will ensure only genuine brewers are left in the market to cushion against more loss of lives.

Mututho gave the company a clean bill of health saying after inspection, he was satisfied it had met all the set guidelines by Nacada and by the government.

He said brewers will now be required to put the name of their companies on the bottles. The bottles should also have batch numbers as well as manufacturing and expiry dates of their brands.

ANALYSE SAMPLES

They will also be required to have laboratories with capacity to analyse samples of the brews they distil before they are taken to the market.

“We are not going to negotiate with those who will not comply with the new regulations,” he said.

Mututho added that all brewers will also be required to have personnel with requisite qualifications.

“Distillers and brewers must ensure their technical staff in the production department has requisite qualifications in food science and quality control in order to ensure their products are safe,” he said.

Vine Pack Director Dickson Mwangi said the brewing industry was facing a serious challenge from counterfeiters who he said “had taken over the market”.

He urged the government to reign on the counterfeiters in order to save genuine brewers and distillers who manufacture safe drinks.