The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has shut down 44 food manufacturing facilities, including sachet water production plants and cold stores, during a nationwide enforcement exercise aimed at strengthening compliance with food safety regulations.
The latest inspections, conducted in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities on Wednesday, July 22, resulted in the closure of several unlicensed facilities operating under unhygienic conditions. The Authority also found that some businesses were manufacturing food products without the required regulatory approval.
Speaking to the media after the exercise, the FDA’s Head of Communications, Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, said the Authority would continue to enforce food safety standards to protect public health and ensure that only licensed businesses operate in the country.
“Several facilities have been closed down,” she said, adding that the FDA remains committed to protecting consumers by taking decisive action against operators who fail to comply with the law.
As part of the operation, the Authority also closed Virgen Natural Mineral Water, a sachet water manufacturing facility located at Ashongman in the Ga East Municipality, after inspectors found it was operating without the required licence.
The FDA has urged all food manufacturers to comply with regulatory requirements, warning that businesses found to be operating without the necessary licences or in breach of food safety standards risk sanctions, including the closure of their facilities.
