The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has closed 44 food production facilities across Ghana, including sachet water manufacturers and cold stores, after a series of nationwide inspections uncovered unlicensed operations and poor hygiene standards.
The latest phase of the enforcement drive, carried out in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities, resulted in the immediate shutdown of several sites found to be operating without the required regulatory approvals and in conditions the Authority described as unsafe for public health.
Speaking to the media after Wednesday’s exercise on 22 July, the FDA’s Head of Communications, Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, said the regulator was intensifying its oversight to ensure that only properly licensed and compliant food businesses are allowed to operate in the country.
“Several facilities have been closed down,” she said, stressing that the action formed part of a broader push to clamp down on non-compliant producers.
Unlicensed sachet water facility closed
Among the facilities ordered to cease operations was Virgen Natural Mineral Water, a sachet water manufacturing company located at Ashongman in the Ga East Municipality.
According to the FDA, the company was producing and distributing sachet water without holding the necessary licence, in breach of national food safety regulations.
Mrs Appiah said findings from the ongoing enforcement operations had laid bare the conditions under which some food and water producers in Ghana operate, with inspectors encountering worrying lapses in hygiene and sanitation at a number of sites.
She described some of the environments and practices observed as “unhygienic” and “unsafe”, warning that they posed significant health risks to consumers who might be unaware of how and where their food and water were being processed.
Public urged to check FDA registration
Reaffirming the Authority’s mandate, Mrs Appiah said the FDA would continue to enforce food safety and regulatory standards rigorously, and would not hesitate to shut down facilities that fall short of the legal requirements.
She called on the public to play an active role in protecting their own health by checking that any food or water products they buy are duly registered with the FDA.
Mrs Appiah also advised consumers to be cautious of products being sold at unusually low prices, suggesting that such pricing could be a warning sign that items are unregistered or produced outside regulated conditions.
“If a product is ridiculously cheap, it should raise suspicion,” she cautioned.
The enforcement exercise forms part of an ongoing nationwide campaign by the FDA to promote compliance, safeguard public health and ensure that food and water products on the market meet the standards set out in Ghana’s food safety laws.
