FDA AND PARTNERS CELEBRATE WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has stated that it has reviewed its operations to reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 on businesses whiles still ensuring the safety of the food supply chain.

The FDA made this revelation during a video conference in commemoration of the 2nd World Food Safety Day on the theme "Food Safety, Everyone's Business". The commemoration in Ghana focused on "Food Safety situation in Our Food Business Environment During this COVID-19 Pandemic".

In a statement read on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mr. Seth Seaneke, the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Drug Registration and Inspectorate Division, mentioned that the FDA is working with the stakeholders in the food industry to ensure the prevention and spread of COVID-19 in order to forestall any potential food safety and nutritional challenges that may arise.

Mr. Seaneke further mentioned that it is imperative for the various stakeholders to ensure food safety in order to prevent foodborne illnesses and to ensure that the nutrients in the food achieve its primary purpose of helping to build and maintain the body's immune system. He added that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in food supply chains being disrupted with some products, ingredients, or materials being unavailable or in short supply. As a result, Mr Seaneke added that in the rush to identify new suppliers, food businesses may focus less attention on the integrity of the supply chain, thereby compromising on food safety and may lead to food fraud.

In this respect, Mr. Seaneke highlighted that every stakeholder along the food chain must play their roles towards the commitment to implementing the policies and legislation that support sustainable food systems with the aim of achieving the ultimate goal of food safety and sustainability. Also, there is the need to strengthen food control systems with emphasis on food waste due to poor storage practices and sanitation in our markets.

The Deputy Minister for Health, Dr. Bernard Oko Boi, reiterated that there is no antiviral agent for SARS COV-2, but persons who have recovered from the disease are believed to have a strong immune system which has been built over the years from eating a balanced diet. Dr. Oko Boi therefore stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, safe and healthy food has become more important to better position individuals to fight the virus.

Dr. Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, Acting Representative for Ghana, World Health Organization (WHO) in her opening remarks encouraged all stakeholders in the food supply chain to ensure that food is safe at all times, food is grown safe, kept safe, eaten safe and we must all team up for safety.

Mr. Ebenezer Kofi Essel, the Head of Food Industrial Support Services Department, contributing to a panel discussion on the Food Safety Situation in our markets during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicated that COVID-19 has, like in many other spheres, affected the regulatory environment, specifically activities such as Inspections, Market Surveillance, Import Control and Laboratory Testing. According to Mr. Essel these challenges have come about as a result of COVID-19 prevention and spread protocols including personnel decongestion.

This notwithstanding the FDA has evolved a number of strategies and innovations to overcome these challenges in order to achieve its regulatory objective of assuring public and safety.

Other members on the panel were Mr. Kweku Quansah, Deputy Director-Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resource, Mrs Paulina Addy, Director, Women in Agriculture Development, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, President, Greater Accra Market's Association (Ghana), Dr. Kimutai Maritim, Coordinator, CCAfrica, Nairobi (Kenya), and Dr. Markus Lipp, Head Food Safety and Quality Unit, FAO, Rome, Italy.