Impact of core control and assurance activities on food safety systems in water bottling plants in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses cause over 600 million cases and 420,000 deaths a year, particularly affecting low- and middle-income economies while increasing costs from lost productivity and treatment. Unsafe drinking water poses high public health risks, leading to rising demand for bottled water and increasing concerns about food safety systems. They must ensure product quality and consumer health. This study aimed to assess the food safety management system activities (core control and core assurance) in bottled water plants using mixed data collection methods. It included observations, questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, and laboratory tests. The Kruskal-Wallis H test compared the mean scores of food safety management systems across four clusters. It looked at their activities and outputs. The Mann-Whitney U test compared the means of certified and noncertified factories.Water bottling factories have low safety requirements. Only 57 % of water samples met microbial safety requirements and workers are still contaminated even after washing their hands. This is due to poor food safety systems. The majority of control activities are at a low to average level, whereas assurance activities are at a low level. Local government certification is not enough for advanced food safety measures. Local government certification is not enough for advanced food safety measures.