FDA shuts 59 food manufacturing and cold storage facilities over safety breaches 

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has temporarily closed 59 food manufacturing and cold storage facilities in the Greater Accra Region for breaching food safety regulations.

The enforcement exercise followed routine inspections conducted over two weeks in the Ga East and Ga West Municipalities, where the Authority found widespread non-compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.

Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, Head of Communication and Public Education at the FDA, announced the outcome at a media briefing after the exercise on Wednesday, saying the inspections formed part of a nationwide enforcement programme.

She said 44 food manufacturing facilities and 15 cold storage facilities had been closed, while three mineral water companies and one cold store had been detained for violating food safety requirements.

The affected facilities are Virgin Mineral Water at Ashongman Estate, Hamatan Mineral Water at Amanfrom, Delta Fall Mineral Water at Amasaman and New Horizon Cold Store at Kwabenya.

Mrs Appiah said investigations showed that almost all the affected facilities were operating without valid FDA registration or licences, contrary to Section 130 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).

She said Virgin Mineral Water and Hamatan Mineral Water lacked Viability-Neutralisation (VN) machines required to test water for microorganisms, while Hamatan Mineral Water also operated without ultraviolet (UV) sterilisation equipment, under poor hygienic conditions and without a valid licence.

Delta Fall Mineral Water was found to be operating without UV sterilisation equipment and using an FDA registration number issued in 2011, although registrations are required to be renewed annually.

Other violations identified during the inspections included unkempt production environments, algae growth in water pipelines, poor sanitation and the use of expired regulatory approvals.

Mrs Appiah said the affected facilities had been closed with immediate effect until they complied with the required food safety standards.

She said FDA registration was affordable, with large-scale businesses paying GH¢600, while small-scale and cottage industries paid less than GH¢300.

Mrs Appiah warned that operators who failed to register their facilities risked temporary closure, seizure of products, administrative penalties of up to GH¢30,000 and possible prosecution.

“Paying GH₵300 to get your business properly regularised is better than facing GH₵30,000 in charges,” she said.

Mrs Appiah announced that the Authority had introduced the Ghana Food and Medicines Electronic Services (GFAMES) portal to simplify the registration process.

She said businesses could submit applications online, upload the required documents and monitor the progress of their applications electronically.

“You don’t need to drive all the way to our office anymore. You don’t need to know someone in FDA to check. Just in the palms of your hand, you can just check,” she said.

Mrs Appiah said affected facilities would only be permitted to resume operations after paying the applicable administrative penalties and implementing all Corrective and Preventive Actions prescribed by the Authority.

“FDA is not anti-business. We want businesses to run and do well. But we will not sacrifice the health and safety of Ghanaians,” she said.

She advised consumers to ensure that sachet and bottled water products carried valid FDA approval before purchasing them.

“No matter how thirsty you are, if you’re going to take any sachet water, you should check whether it has FDA approval,” she advised.

Mrs Appiah said the Authority had withdrawn affected products from major warehouses and supermarkets and had extended the enforcement exercise to retail outlets and smaller vendors to ensure the removal of non-compliant products from the market.

GNA