The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has organised training on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for food manufacturing industries to promote high-quality food production.
The three-day training, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims to enhance the industry’s capacity to ensure that food produced, distributed, and consumed met both national and international standards of safety and quality.
Ms Maureen Lartey, Director of the Food Safety and Consumer Education Directorate, FDA, speaking at the opening of the training, said food safety was an indispensable component of public health and sustainable development.
She explained that the increasing complexity of food supply chains and the growing consumer demand for safe and high-quality products called for stronger systems, continuous learning, and effective collaboration among regulators, industry, and development partners.
“Through this training, we seek to strengthen the knowledge base and operational capacity of participants to effectively apply Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to your respective facilities,” she added.
Ms Lartey said beyond compliance with the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) and related regulatory instruments, the essence of GMP was in cultivating a culture of safety and responsibility that permeated every level of food production.
She reiterated that the training, not only aims to enhance technical competence but also to reinforce a mindset of accountability and continuous improvement within Ghana’s food manufacturing landscape.
Highlighting their vision, she said this would ensure that every Ghanaian had access to safe, nutritious, and high-quality food as well as promote the competitiveness of the Food industry globally and urged participants to take full advantage of the training, participate actively, exchange ideas, and translate the lessons learned into tangible improvements in their facilities.
Ms Priya Gujadhur, FAO Representative for Ghana, said food safety challenges, including microbial contamination, chemical residue, aflatoxin contamination, and poor sanitation, have been identified by the FDA as major contributing factors to food-related health issues.
She said in response, the FDA and FAO have developed training manuals on updated GMP and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), adding that it would strengthen food safety practices and reduce risks across all food categories.
The training explored core components of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), including the legal and regulatory framework for food manufacturing, identification and control of food safety hazards, monitoring and verification of control measures, record keeping and documentation, and the development and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
GNA
