Drinking water warning by EDWCA

Press release from the EDWCA . The European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA) is the largest UK trade association with around 150 members that deliver point of use (POU) and bottled drinking water coolers. The Water Cooler Company is an accredited member.

17 May 2011 – The UK’s largest water cooler trade association, the EDWCA, has issued a warning against the use of unregulated and unaccredited water cooler suppliers. The European Drinking Water Cooler Association warns that drinking water quality and hygiene is being compromised by unregulated and untrained distributors.

According to the chairman of the EDWCA, James Anderton, the need to ensure that installation and maintenance of a water cooler meets stringent water regulation and hygiene requirements is an imperative; “Our aim is to ensure that the highest standards of hygiene and safety of drinking water is assured in order to protect the consumer. To achieve this we require our supplier members to undergo a strict annual audit.  With 149 companies on our register, we know that there is a healthy market of choice for buyers, but those that fall outside our membership – or those companies that fail our stringent audits – may not fulfil essential criteria for safe and reliable delivery.”

The EDWCA audit described by Anderton is an independent annual process. It is a tough evaluation of supplier installation and hygiene standards which are compared to strict EDWCA guidelines. It reinforces the standards demanded at point of membership, which scrutinises the sites and systems of drinking water providers and may include biological checks on the quality of water being delivered by them.  ‘Uniformity of quality service’ is quoted by the EDWCA as one of the key aims for the audit and it encompasses ‘the essential operations and good practice required by the relevant food and water legislation’.  The audit standards include sanitation, installation, filtration, bottled water, water contact surfaces, staff training, hygiene, cooler records, documentation, transport, quality control and risk assessment.

Both mains connected water cooler suppliers (or point of use, ‘POU’) and bottled water cooler suppliers are vetted by the EDWCA, with categories of membership that cover distributors and operators, bottling plants and suppliers to the industry.

According to the association, the market is evenly split between POU and bottled water coolers, with compelling reasons for both methods of delivery.  POU, which involves the re-treatment of drinking water at the point of consumption to improve taste, has clear advantages says Anderton:  Using mains-fed water reduces costs, reduces environmental impact and simplifies operation.  According to the EDWCA,  the increase in the mains fed share of the market is being led by members of the association offering customers the highest standards of installation and quality.  Bottled water meanwhile remains the preference for situations where mains connection would be impractical.

For those interested in understanding more about the drinking water industry, the EDWCA is co- hosting AVEX 2011, together with the AVA (Automatic Vending Association).  This is the largest water and vending show in the UK and will be held at the NEC from 15-16 June.  Free seminars will be held at AVEX, including one on water filters with speakers from market leaders such as 3M, Fairey Ceramics, Pentair, Pureflow and Fileder.  For those interested in learning more about correct POU installation to the mains, the EDWCA we will be offering a free video, available at the show.”

“We urge those buying and specifying the supply of drinking water coolers to consider carefully the credentials of the suppliers they choose,” stressed Anderton.  “Those that are accredited by the EDWCA are rigorously inspected and assessed – creating confidence that they will consistently deliver safe drinking water to the highest standards of hygiene and quality.”

 

Robert Laughton

Robert Laughton

Rob Laughton is an established part of the UK water industry and has business interests in drinking water products.

He is actively involved in the self-regulatory associations which work to keep strict standards within the UK water industry.

His related water businesses are listed on www.drinkingwaters.co.uk and include The Water Delivery Company - Londons' largest independent plumbed water cooler supplier.
 

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