The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has expressed willingness to undergo an audit by either local or international bodies regarding its operations.
This comes after the authority faced public criticism following a report about the distribution of around 22,000 repackaged expired rice to Senior High Schools across the country.
At a news conference in Accra, FDA Chief Executive Officer Delese Mimi Darko reiterated the authority’s commitment to enforcing food safety standards and ensuring compliance.
“Globally, we may use accepted regulatory extensions of best-before dates following rigorous testing and compliance with storage requirements, and this is in line with international best practices. The FDA also wishes to assure the public that it confirmed the wholesomeness of the consignment of rice in question and gives assurance that with all the other certificates that were submitted from India, from PPRST, from CSIRFRI, and concluded that the rice was wholesome before it was released for distribution.
“The authority wishes to reiterate the fact that it is committed to ensuring the safety and quality of all products, including food on the market, and in this regard, it has carried out several safe disposals of consignments of food, including rice whose safety and quality could not be assured or guaranteed. The FDA’s reputation for excellence is backed by ISO certification and the largest ISO-accredited laboratory scope in Africa.
“The FDA also tirelessly followed up on the long-dormant national food safety policy, ensuring its successful launch. It also acts as a secretariat for the National Food Safety Emergency Response Plan. The authority operates with independence, transparency, and professionalism.
“To address any public concerns, the FDA is open to audits by qualified local or international bodies to validate all its actions. I’ll repeat. The FDA is open to audit by qualified local or international bodies to validate its actions,” she stated.
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