A food safety management system based on the principles of the World-wide Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) has been inaugurated at Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC) at Kwae.
HAACP is a systematic approach for the identification, evaluation and control of food hazards or contaminants that could endanger the safety of food for human consumption and other uses.
Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, Eastern Regional Minister, in an address read on his behalf said consumers expected to be protected from hazards that occurred along the entire food chain.
He noted that protection would however, only occur if all sectors in the chain operated in an integrated manner and food control systems addressed all stages in the chain.
Mr Affram-Asiedu said a food safety management system was a requirement for all stakeholders in the food sector and should be developed and implemented to accomplish the assurance of safe food.
He said such a system should be assessed periodically to assure its continued suitability, adequacy and effectiveness.
Mr Affram-Asiedu noted that sanitation was a cornerstone not only for food safety but also poverty reduction, boost economic productivity and protecting investments made in other sectors such as education and agriculture.
He urged Ghanaians never to underestimate the burden caused by poor food safety, hygiene and diseases which caused misery, impede productivity, strained health systems and compromised investments in other sectors leading to poverty.
Mr Joseph Inkumsah, Managing Director of GOPDC, said management in conducting its business, had been guided by some principles voluntarily undertaken to become the preferred supplier of high quality palm oil and its derivatives.
He said GOPDC had been and continued to be an important partner with other stakeholders in finding solutions to climate change, erosion, deforestation, managing the ecosystems and other environmental challenges.
Mr Inkumsah said GOPDC had an environmental management plan and undertook environmental impact assessment, provided employees with environment and safety training on regular basis in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Dr Mohammed Alfa, Director of Food and Drugs Board (FDB) said consumers were increasingly concerned about food quality and safely issues and international markets were demanding that all links in the food supply chain understood consumer preferences and the supplier achieved tighter food safety standards and ensure consistent quality.
He observed that the introduction of HACCP system and its adoption in the supply chain would assist in the elimination of biological, chemical and physical hazards.
Dr Alfa later presented a certificate of conformity to the GOPDC, HACCP team leader, Mr L.S.K. Atsrim as approval of FDB to the company's high standards and quality palm oil and its derivatives.

NSCE 07
Science Digital Television
Pilot Digital Terrestrial Television launched

Accra, Nov. 3, GNA - Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in partnership with Next Generation Broadcasting (NGB), a Swedish-based broadcasting network, on Monday launched a digital television pilot project in Accra.
The project, to be undertaken till January next year is to switch over from analogue transmission to digital transmission as directed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2006.
In 2006, the ITU directed that all countries in Europe, Africa and Middle East to migrate to digital broadcasting by 2015.
The Minister of Communication, Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, in a speech read for him, said that innovation was the main driving force towards the rapid deployment of Information Communication Technology to support socio-economic development of nations and no country could afford to be left behind.
He said the launch was to prompt everybody to be alive with the practical challenges associated with the migration to digital television broadcasting and commended the organisers for seeing the need to bring the discussion on the digital migration to life.
Dr Aggrey Ntim also stressed the need to define the country's migration plan bearing in mind the cost implications and assured consumers that government would play a participatory role to avoid the transfer of investment cost to the consuming public.
He also tasked that National Communication Authority to take advantage of all sub-regional programmes to put the agenda of digital broadcasting on the table to enable the country to have a sub-regional approach to the right guard intervals for technical parameters to prevent undue cross-border interference.
Mr Ampem Darko, Director General of GBC, said the digital pilot was a co-operation between GBC, NGB and Ghana's four major channels - Ghana Television, TV3, TV Africa and Net 2 Television.
He said Europe, United States of America and Asia were already on board, adding that, the rate at which Ghana was moving would enable her to achieve the cross over by 2015 deadline.
He mentioned funding, creation of adequate awareness, among others, as some of the issues to be considered critically.
Mr Oscar Nchor, Director in-charge of Technical production, GBC, said to receive the digital signal on current television sets, households would need Set Top Box (decoder) that converted the digital signal into analogue signal.
He said already Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria had embarked on digital switch over transition.
To start with, about 300,000 Set Top Boxes would be distributed among the stakeholders.