Pre-packaged Food Dealers Urged by FDA to Ensure Safety Standards are Maintained

Pre-packaged Food Dealers Urged by FDA to Ensure Safety Standards are Maintained

The Head of the Food Safety Management Department at the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mrs. Joycelyn Adeline Egyakwa-Amusah, has emphasized the importance of pre-packed food dealers being more vigilant to prevent expired products from reaching consumers.

Mrs. Egyakwa-Amusah stated that food safety is a shared responsibility, with both consumers and sellers playing a role. She urged sellers to ensure that only non-expired products are sold to consumers by paying close attention to product information labels.

It is important to note that consuming expired products poses a serious risk to one’s health, as the safety and quality of such products have been compromised due to their expired status.

To promote safety, the Head of the Food Safety Management Department has called for consumers to consistently check the expiry date of products they purchase.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs. Egyakwa-Amusah emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring by food traders to maintain the high quality and safety of food products in the market.

“Sellers have a responsibility to ensure that the expiry or best before date of their products is prominently displayed and that they are removed when the date has passed,” she stated.

She encouraged the public to report any expired products to the Authority via their website or by lodging a complaint, assuring that the FDA would take immediate action to remove such products from the shelves.

Mrs. Egyakwa-Amusah reminded sellers to regularly check and remove all expired products from their shelves to prevent consumers from consuming unsafe food. She explained that the reason manufacturers add an expiry or best-before date to their products is to alert consumers that they cannot guarantee the safety of the product beyond that date.

The Food Safety Management Department is responsible for ensuring the safety of commercial food facilities that prepare and sell cooked foods, as well as monitoring and investigating foodborne diseases in Ghana.

The department carries out various operational activities, such as inspecting food service establishments like restaurants, food joints, street-vendor food, and catering facilities, as well as conducting surveillance for unregistered facilities. Approved facilities are issued Food Hygiene Permits, and the department also investigates consumer complaints related to food safety and quality issues.

In addition, the department is responsible for maintaining a database on foodborne diseases, investigating outbreak cases, and promoting food safety awareness campaigns for consumers in educational institutions and public places.

It collaborates with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to ensure food safety at the district level, and it drafts bills and reviews guidelines and codes of practice to improve food safety standards.

The department is comprised of two operational units: the Food Service Establishment Inspections Unit and the Public Education and Foodborne Disease Surveillance Unit.