FDA Calls for Laws to Regulate Corn Milling in Ghana
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FDA Calls for Laws to Regulate Corn Milling Operations in Ghana
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) wants clearer rules governing how corn mills and other milling outlets operate across Ghana. Their goal is to improve food safety and cut down the risk of contamination during milling.
According to the Authority, stronger regulation paired with better hygiene practices is exactly what’s needed to bring milling operations up to acceptable food safety standards.
Ebenezer Kofi Essel, Head of Food Industrial Support Services at the FDA, put the concern in blunt terms Ghana needs to rethink its continued reliance on traditional commercial milling systems, which he believes carry real risks when it comes to food safety.
His recommendation is a gradual shift away from these traditional mills toward safer, more modern milling technology, specifically to reduce the chances of contamination during food processing.
Essel also had a message for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs): step up inspections of milling outlets within their areas. He emphasised that hygiene practices deserve particular attention, and that authorities need to make sure operators are actually meeting the required food safety standards, not just paying lip service to them.
One assembly appears to be taking that message seriously. The Madina La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly’s Sanitation Department has ramped up inspections of milling outlets within the Madina Market, as part of a broader push to improve food safety and hygiene in the area.
During these inspections, sanitation officers examined several aspects of milling operations — everything from the quality and source of water used in the process to the general sanitary condition of the facilities themselves.
Daniel Tetteh, Head of the Assembly’s Sanitation Department, said the local authority has taken the lead in ensuring millers across the municipality obtain proper health certification. According to him, that certification is a key part of making sure operators maintain good hygiene standards and protect consumers from potential health risks.
Interestingly, the milling outlet operators themselves seem to be on board. Several heads of milling outlets praised the sanitation officers for carrying out the exercise, saying the inspections would help encourage better practices and push operators to raise their hygiene standards over time.
For the FDA, none of this works in isolation. The Authority believes closer collaboration between regulators, local assemblies, and milling operators will be essential if Ghana wants to genuinely strengthen food safety and protect consumers nationwide.
