The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has closed 44 food manufacturing facilities, including sachet water producers and cold stores, in a nationwide enforcement drive to uphold food safety standards. Recent inspections in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities uncovered several unlicensed operations running under unhygienic conditions, with some producing food without regulatory approval.
Addressing the media after the exercise on Wednesday, July 22, FDA Head of Communications, Mrs. Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to safeguarding public health by ensuring only licensed and compliant businesses operate. She noted, “Several facilities have been closed down.” Among those shut was Virgen Natural Mineral Water, a sachet water company in Ashongman, Ga East Municipality, found to be operating without the required licence.
Mrs Appiah noted that the ongoing enforcement activities continue to expose the alarming conditions under which some facilities operate in Ghana. She described the unhygienic and unsafe environments and practices as posing serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers
As the Authority mandated to protect public health, she said, the FDA will not relent in enforcing food safety and regulatory standards. She urged the public to always verify that the products they purchase and consume are registered by the FDA, and warned consumers not to be swayed by unusually low prices. “If a product is ridiculously cheap, it should raise suspicion,” she cautioned.
Source: Jemima Okang Addae
