The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has shut down 44 food manufacturing facilities, comprising sachet water producers and cold stores, as part of a nationwide enforcement exercise to ensure compliance with food safety regulations.
The latest inspections in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities led to the closure of several unlicensed facilities operating under unhygienic conditions. Some operators were also found to be producing food products without the required regulatory approval.
Speaking to the media after the exercise on Wednesday, July 22, the FDA's Head of Communications, Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, said the Authority remains committed to protecting public health by ensuring that only licensed and compliant food businesses operate in the country.
"Several facilities have been closed down," she said.
The FDA has also shut down Virgen Natural Mineral Water, a sachet water manufacturing facility at Ashongman in the Ga East Municipality, for 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.
