What is to come of water safety regulation in the wake of the bottled water contamination scare?
By Hossam Zaater The issue of food safety in Egypt is gaining momentum, albeit slowly. Stroll through the aisles of any Seoudi or Metro supermarket and it is clear that people are not shy about examining the labels of the food they buy, especially when it is locally produced. Chances are the media-driven bottledwater crisis has something to do with this growing awareness. With Egypt s high rate of renal disease according to the Egyptian Renal Registry, there were 35,751 cases in 2004, up from 14,636 in 1998 and a lack of trust in tap water, it is no surprise that the Central Egyptian Society for Consumer Protection (CESCP), a non-governmental organization (NGO) active in consumer protection, chose to investigate the quality of bottled water. The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), a regulatory body affiliated with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, launched its own investigation in December 2007. News of the investigations led to a whirlpool of panic and confusion nationwide. The con
