Food Safety: Taskforce inaugurated to address challenges in Ghana

A Food Safety Taskforce has been inaugurated to address existing food safety challenges in Ghana such as pesticides and chemical control in food production from farms to fork; food handling from production to shelf and to plate; as well as food certification standards for both internal consumption and for export among other things.

The Task Force which was inaugurated at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel on March 12, 2020 was organized by Hortifresh in consultation with public and private actors in the food safety and certification sector.

The Task Force is made up of various stakeholders from research and knowledge institutes, exporter associations, processors and retailers of fruits and vegetables, regulatory authorities and agencies, development partners and agro input dealers.

The membership of the Food Safety Task Force who were introduced to the public at the inauguration ceremony performed by the Advisory Board Chair of Horifresh, Samuel Asante-Mensah includes stakeholders from the private sector such as: fruit producers, vegetable producers, processors, retailers, supermarkets and traders.

Stakeholders from the knowledge and research group includes representatives from the University of Ghana, the Ghana Atomic Energy and the Food Research Institute. The regulatory authorities on board are the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD).

Other stakeholders in the Task Force includes the Ghana Green Label, CropLife, GAIDA, Ghana Bio Pesticide Producers and Marketers, CABI and VegGhana.

The mandate of the Task Force is to develop strategies, programmes, communiques and activities to address current and emerging challenges in the horticulture sector and to ensure general food safety in the country.

The Programmes Manager of Hortifresh, Mrs. Sheila Assibey-Yeboah, told journalists in an interview at the event that her outfit will serve as a secretariat to the Task Force as well as facilitate and finance their work within the current timeline of the Task Force which spans from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021.

She shared the highlights on the objectives of the Task Force, which includes reviewing the food safety situation in the country and promote both international and domestic standards for fruits and vegetables.

The Programmes Manager, in addition, indicated that the Task Force will coordinate campaigns and consumer education on food safety, as well as support the enforcement of food safety standards that exist in the country.

Hortifresh is a programme supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which has prioritized commercial agriculture in its strategic plan of moving from aid to trade.

The programme’s mission is to establish “a sustainable and internationally competitive fruit and vegetable sector that contributes to inclusive economic growth, food and nutrition security” in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Source: Clement Akoloh || businessweekghana.com