Business News of Sunday, 25 June 2017

Source: gbcghana.com

Turf war between FDA and GSA hampering effective enforcement of regulations

Food and Drugs Authority Food and Drugs Authority

Regulatory turf-war between the Food and Drugs Authority and the Ghana Standard Authority is hampering effective enforcement of regulations.

It is also hampering the introduction of a Food Safety Policy to properly regulate and guide food safety related matters in the country.

Existing regulations have provisions that lend themselves to duplication of functions of the regulatory bodies.

The Head of the Food Safety Management Department of the Food and Drugs Authority, Maria Lovelace-Johnson, noted that there is an urgent need for the harmonisation of all food safety regulations to ensure that supervisory bodies have distinct and clear functions that do not overlap.

Madam Lovelace-Johnson was speaking at a Food Safety and Healthy Lifestyle Workshop organized by Nestle-Ghana for Journalists in Accra.

She said a Food Safety Policy has been worked on and it is expected to go through Parliament for consideration and approval.

This she noted when approved will further enhance food safety measures in the country.

The Managing Director of Nestle-Ghana Freda Duplan, emphasized the need for the media to always educate consumers to be conscious of food safety and healthy lifestyles.

She said healthy living is linked to economic development and the media must be at the forefront of food safety advocacy.