The one-day workshop, which assembled manufacturers and retailers, was aimed at providing an avenue for stakeholders to discuss issues related to standardisation and labelling requirements to promote trade.

It was also to help equip the participants on how to meet standards and labelling requirements especially under barcode scanning.  Addressing the participants, the Director of the Inspectorate Division at the GSA, Mr. Kwasi Owusu Boadu, stressed the need for manufacturers to properly label their products to promote trade as standardization is critical for imports and exports.

He said the workshop would provide better understanding on standards and labelling amongst manufacturers to promote the production and packaging of quality products in the country.

He urged manufacturers to comply with standards requirements in order to compete favourably. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GS1- Ghana, Mr. Kofi Essuman, explained that the GS1 standards provide a framework that allows producers and retailers to operate effectively and securely for the benefit of their businesses.

He said the most common GS1 standards are the barcodes, which are symbols that can be scanned electronically using laser or camera-based systems, used to encode information such as product numbers, serial numbers and batch numbers.

Barcodes play a key role in supply chains, enabling parties like retailers, manufacturers, transport providers and hospitals to automatically, identify and track products as they move through the supply chain.

Mr. Essuman urged manufacturers to consider the merits of using barcodes to develop their products, both locally and externally, despite it not being mandatory.