![NO TIME TO WASTE IN ENFORCING FOOD SAFETY LAWS](http://ghheadlines.com/images/default.png)
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) yesterday announced that it would commence the enforcement food safety laws among food vendors from 2017.
According to Ms Maria Aba Lovelace-Johnson, Head of Food Safety Management Department of FDA, sufficient awareness, has been created among food vendors between 2012 to 2015 to now enforce the laws in 2017.
Speaking at a food safety and hygiene training workshop aimed at building the capacity of participants on the promotion of food safety and compliance, Ms Lovelace-Johnson, said “the authority had embarked on awareness creation for a long time and that it was time to crack the whip, to make all vendors comply with public health regulations.
Although the Times is delighted that the FDA is to commence enforcement of food safety regulations, we are disappointed that such an exercise is beginning only this year.
It is also disturbing that a public health regulation that is to protect citizens has been allowed to sit on the shelves for several years without enforcement.
This is particularly worrying because food venders serve a large segment of the society and without proper adherence to safety measures, they could put many lives at risk.
It is public knowledge that many food vendors, especially many “table top” vendors operate under very unhygienic conditions.
They daily feed many people and if they do not operate under hygienic conditions and observe safety regulations, then those who patronise them are putting their lives at risk.
Therefore, it is important for the FDA and other stakeholders to take the safety regulations and its enforcement more serious than they have done.
Many Ghanaians may have fallen victims already to the non enforcement of the regulations and we expect that the authority would not waste time in enforcing the laws.
We are aware that the various MMDA and community health workers are also expected to enforce some of their regulations and it would be in the interest of all that the FDA collaborates with all stakeholders to ensure strict enforcement.
We hope that the FDA would waste no further time in enforcing the regulations in the interest of public safety.
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