The Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has ordered the closure of United Food Products, a company which was supplying bottled water to Parliament.

The closure of the company follows a complaint by lawmaker for Mulanje Bale, Victor Musowa, who complained in the House of bad smell and taste of the water.

Making the announcement in Parliament, Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara, said officials from the Bureau visited the company as part of their investigation.

Confirming the development, MBS spokesperson, Monica Khombe, said the Bureau has so far observed a number of challenges at the Company’s premises including poor hygienic conditions.

Khombe said: “Following a complaint from the parliament we sent our quality assurance officers to go and check if the water is really fit for consumption and we found a number of on spot challenges, unhygienic storage tanks and packaging materials so we decided to close the company to address those challenges.”

Khombe further said the Bureau will be waiting for the Company to invite them for quality inspection and if the challenges are addressed, the ban will be lifted.