Unpackaged opaque beer a danger to health – Nampak Zambia

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Nampak Zambia has made a clarion call for the reinforcement of the statutory instrument (SI) that bans the production, transportation and sale of Opaque beer in bulk containers.
Nampak Zambia Managing Director Shaun du Plessis says SI 72 of 2012 was signed into law for the purpose of protecting Zambians from potentially dangerous and unregulated sale of Opaque beer in bulk containers.
Du Plessis said during the opaque beer packaging and distribution workshop on Friday that permitting the illegallity aforementioned will pose challenges in people’s health and pollution.
“These bulk containers are used for the decanting and sharing of beer.”
“This poses serious health threats as there is no control over what is being put in the containers or added to them at a later stage,” he explained.
Du Plessis further noted that over 70 percent of beer sold in Zambia is ilicit which hinders government progress in collecting revenue because it is difficult to monitor accurately as opposed to packaged beer which is traceble and measurable.
Officiating the event Local Government and Rural Development Minister Garry Nkombo emphasised the need to reposition cartons as the pack of choice for opaque beer.
“Cartons are suitable for the on-going fermentation of sorghum. Cartons are hygienic and tamper proof. They are sealed at source and cannot be resealed manually,” Nkombo disclosed.
Nkombo further stated that cartons are recyclable and generally more environmentally friendly than plastic.
“The proliferation of this [bulk containers] illegal packaging has been detrimental to public health and the environment over the years.”
“Further, this type of packaging is hazardous to road-users and encourages irresponsible drinking,” he stressed.
He added that carton packaging engineered in a way to allow for fermentation to happen while the content is safely packaged for the consumer “preserving the traditional test that kept our forefathers around the fires while drinking their favourite beer, is retained centuries after the first brew was ever made.”
By Moses Makwaya
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