G/SPS/N/GHA/1  
 
29 April 2014  
(14-2630)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: GHANA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Food and Drugs Authority, Ministry of Health 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): All plant and animal food products 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: National Food Safety Policy  Language(s): English   
Number of pages: 40 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2014/sps/GHA/14_2014_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: The aim of the National Food Safety Policy is to establish and 
maintain an integrated farm to fork food safety system that ensures consumer health and public safety for all plant and animal food products. 
This policy seeks to coordinate the regulation  of food safety and to define the role of 
stakeholders to ensure public health and trade in food. It also aims to: 
 establish a mechanism for coordinating food safety related activities in Ghana by 
ensuring harmonisation and institutional cooperation among the relevant 
stakeholders; 
 strengthen the surveillance system for food borne diseases, including early warning 
and crisis management mechanisms; and 
 coordinate and strengthen existing laboratories and establish new laboratories 
deemed necessary to ensure food safety. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None G/SPS/N/GHA/1 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [X] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: The new Draft Food Safety Policy is looking at a broad system 
which is likely to apply to a number of re levant codex standards depending on issues 
being undertaken at a particular time and hence make it difficult to precisely identify 
whether the policy conforms to them. 
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:     
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : Anticipated by end of 2014. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 28 June 2014 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [X] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Ministry of Trade and Industry 
P.O. Box MB 47 Tel: +(233 302) 686 500/679 283 Fax: +(233 302) 662 428/665 663/664 115 
E-mail: motichief@yahoo.com  
 minister@moti.gov.gh  
13. Texts available from: [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Ministry of Trade and Industry 
P.O. Box MB 47 
Tel: +(233 302) 686 500/679 283 Fax: +(233 302) 662 428/665 663/664 115 E-mail: motichief@yahoo.com  
 minister@moti.gov.gh  
 
Food and Drugs Authority  
P.O. Box CT 2783, Cantonments 
Accra-Ghana Tel: +(233 302) 233 200/235 100 
Fax: +(233 302) 229 794/225 502 
E-mail: fda@fdaghana.gov.gh