GS1 Ghana members participate in labeling & packaging workshop

GS1 Ghana has facilitated the participation of about 10 of its member companies in the AGOA Technical Packaging Workshop organised by USAID/West African Trade and Investment Hub in collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Commerce in Accra.This is in response to requests from members for training and advisory support to address challenges they face in accessing good and appropriate packaging for their products.

Topics covered include packaging to protect, preserve and transport West African food products, packaging to market West African food products locally and beyond and US Food Labelling Regulations

Participants for the workshop were drawn from small, medium and large food processing companies, packaging converters and Glass Jar Users Association.

The GS1 Ghana participants include; Qualiplast Ghana Ltd, Sonapack Ghana Ltd, Inestfly Africa Ltd, Wilmar Africa Ltd, Cargil Ghana Ltd, Muriel Ventures, Orchids Ltd, Market Focus and Blessed child foods.

The West African Trade and Investment Hub, a project funded by the USAID aims at increasing the value and volume of West African Exports by addressing challenges in intra-regional agricultural and export oriented value-added trade.

The workshop was facilitated by international consultants from the USA, Dr Kenneth S. Marsh and Dr ThomasA. Butterworth a food technologist.

They urged participants totake packaging and labelling serious in order for them to compete favourably on the international markets, especially the US.

The Chief of Party, Carol Adoum was pleased with the traceability controls being instituted by the Food & Drugs Authority in Ghana.

However, she urged the country to step up its efforts in adapting to the technological and quality requirements that are common in Europe and the USA especially.

Addressing the workshop, the 1^st Vice President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), Mr. Clement Osei Amoako noted that the series of AGOA technical training workshops compliments the one district one factory initiative by the President of Ghana as it gives a boost to SME’s especially Export ready companies.

In a remark Mr Kofi Essuman, Chairman of the Management Board of GS1 Ghana invited the participants and other enterprises to contact GS1 Ghana for technical support to improve product quality in order to be competitive, particularly in the areas of product standards, food safety, packaging and supply chain management.

Participants were thankful to the USAID/West African trade and Investment Hub for organising such a training program adding that it will go a long way to boost their trade.

Source: Prosper Agbenyega

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