ePac Ghana was commended to strengthen SMEs capacity in flexible packaging to promote safe handling, storage and transportation of products.
ePac Ghana partners with local authorities to educate regulators on new packaging standards. (Credit: silviarita from Pixabay)
ePac Flexible Packaging, with a mission to help small and medium sized enterprises grow while being accretive to the communities it serves, has turned its sights on Ghana, Africa. With plans to soon put into operation a manufacturing plant in Ghana, the company partnered with local authorities to conduct a seminar entitled: Building Capacity in Flexible Packaging to Enhance Food Safety & Quality for MSMEs in the Africa Free Trade Area.
Drawing over 100 attendees, the workshop was conducted on March 16-17, 2022, and was the result of a partnership between ePac Ghana, the Ghana Food and Drug Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, and Ecobank Ghana Ltd. Its focus was to educate regulators to be able to serve local brands on the role packaging plays in food safety and commercialization. Participants at the workshop included regulators, the Consumer Protection Agency, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ghana Standards Authority, Academia, Ghana Export Promotion and officials from the Food and Drugs Authority.
At the conference, Mrs. Delese Darko, Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, charged Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), to ensure high standards in packaging are met for their products to be competitive. She said packaging had been the major limitation for entrepreneurs in Ghana. The workshop introduced the latest international standards in food packaging and safety to the FDA and the GSA to fully equip them to support local brand owners and consumers.
ePac Ghana was commended by Mrs. Darko in its position to strengthen SMEs capacity in flexible packaging to promote safe handling, storage and transportation of products.
Mrs Velda Sosah, the Chief Financial Officer of ePac Ghana, said the limited availability of packaging solutions, which met both local and international market requirements presented a challenge for Made in Ghana products. “This also limits producers’ ability to enhance product quality to meet the standards of the increasingly discerning consumer, which has resulted in an increase in imported products” she added.
The landscape for food packaging in Ghana is transforming, driven by technology, trade, and a drive to support local entrepreneurs. The country faces ongoing challenges in the face of climate change and food scarcity, which ePac is eager to play a positive role in. Effective standards and professional packaging help prolong product shelf life and reduce food losses.
Source: Company Press Release