GHANA – Olam Ghana’s Nutrifoods Biscuit factory and its tomato paste plant in Tema have been awarded the critical FSSC food safety certification, reports Ghana News Agency.

The two processing facilities have been accorded FSSC 22000 accreditation which acknowledges that the facilities have focused their food safety efforts on scientific and technical initiatives, thereby providing confidence to stakeholders and regulatory bodies of their ability to identify and control food safety hazards.

According to the company, it’s Nutrifoods factory has become the first biscuit manufacturing facility in West Africa to earn the FSSC international recognition for compliance to food safety standards.

“We are very proud to be the first biscuits factory in West Africa, to receive the Global FSSC certification. It is indicative of the much higher benchmarks we hold ourselves to when it comes to safety and quality of our products,” said Mr Chitwan Singh, Business Head at Nutrifoods Biscuits.

The factory produces three popular brands of biscuits: the Royal King Cracker, the Royal Milky Magic and the Perk Milk Shortcake. It also produces Tasty-Tom a household tomato-mix and pasta.

The factory also has can-making and canning capacity for its products under the same roof.

Mr Singh says that the company is focused on delivering on the promise of safe food products after receiving the certification.

“FSSC certification is not a decorative object to be displayed on our walls. For us, it represents the introduction of a different level of consciousness and mindset change among the entire production team, with more rigid safeguards against any potential food contamination risks,” he said.

Olam Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Olam International, has a 22-year track record in Ghana as a major supply chain manager of agricultural products and a leading agro-commodity and packaged foods company.

It is a leading trader in Ghana’s cocoa beans into the European and Asian markets and is Ghana’s biggest exporter of cashew and one of the leading importers of rice.

In 2012, the company became one of the country’s major flour millers when it opened a new state-of-the-art wheat flour mill in Tema.

It employs more than 850 staff members and 1,000 seasonal workers in the country.

February 2, 2017