Food Division

The Food Division is one of two technical wings of the Food and Drugs Board established by the Food and Drugs Law (1992), P.N.D.C.L. 305B with the mandate to safeguard public health and safety through regulation of foods.

The Division contributes to the achievement of the Board’s mission statement by ensuring all food products meet the appropriate standards of safety and quality through product evaluation, inspection and audit of manufacturing premises, industrial support services, investigation of consumer complaints and market surveillance activities. The Division is also involved in programmes sponsored by donor agencies to promote the health and wellbeing of the populace. Currently the Ghana-Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) food fortification and Universal Iodated Salt Programme are two of such projects under the purview of the Food Division.

The Food Division currently comprises three (3) departments with the inclusion of Animal Products and Biosafety Department (August, 2007) in response to the global and local concern with regards to the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These departments are supported by nine (9) Operational Units.

The activities of the Division are carried out by two specialized departments and supported by six operational units.

Departments and Units of the Food Division

1. Animal Products and Biosafety Department
a. Animal Products Unit (APU)
b. Feed safety Unit (FSU)
c. Biosafety Unit (BSU)

2. Food Inspectorate Department
a. Food Post Market Surveillance Unit (FPMSU)
b. Food Premises Inspection Unit (FPIU)
c. Industrial Support Services Unit (ISSU)

3. Food Safety and Nutrition Department
a. Food Evaluation and registration Unit (FERU)
b. Food Safety Management Unit (FSMU)
c. Food Standards Unit (FSU)

COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS

Advert Vetting Committee
The advert vetting committee of the Food Division is a permanent committee with membership drawn from all departments of the Division. This committee, chaired by a Head of Department meets at least once in a month to assess the suitability of food advertisements for the electronic and print media.

Food Registration Committee

The Food registration committee also meets once in a month to scrutinize applications for registration of food. The membership of this committee is drawn from all departments of the Division and is chaired by the Head of Division. This committee determines whether a product is registered, deferred or rejected.

Technical Committees

Currently, there are two technical committees within the Food Division namely;

1. The Parameters Review Committee: Meets to review existing parameters and assess the risk associated with various food products.
2. Technical Committee on Food Standards: Meets to regularly review Ghana Standards on Food, propose amendments to existing ones and makes recommendations regarding food standards.