FDA closes 44 food production facilities over safety and licensing breaches

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has closed down 44 food manufacturing facilities, including sachet water production plants and cold stores, during a nationwide enforcement exercise aimed at ensuring compliance with food safety standards.

The latest operation, conducted in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities, resulted in the shutdown of several unlicensed facilities found to be operating under poor sanitary conditions.

The Authority also discovered that some operators were manufacturing food products without obtaining the necessary regulatory approval.

Addressing the media after the exercise on Wednesday, July 22, the FDA's Head of Communications, Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, said the Authority would continue to enforce food safety regulations to protect public health and ensure that only licensed and compliant businesses operate.

“Several facilities have been closed down,” she said.

Among the facilities affected was Virgen Natural Mineral Water, a sachet water production company located at Ashongman in the Ga East Municipality, which was shut down for operating without the required licence.