An accreditation body recognized by the world, The Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS), has renewed the accreditation of the Fish Inspection Department (FID) of the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) to inspect and certify fish and fish products for consumption in the country before exported.
According to a press release by the GSA, the renewal by DAkkS means the FID is competent under the terms of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 as an inspected body Type A/B/C to carry out pre-shipment inspection of fish and fish products for export.
The renewal certificate is valid for two years, it expires in 2023, June 28. This renewal will help the Authority Fish Inspection Department to have a widened scope to cater for fried fish exports as well.
The Head of Fish Inspection at the Ghana Standard Authority, Mrs. Jessica Nkansah said the accreditation has improved the efficiency of the department’s inspection processes. She commended her department staff for attaining this achievement and entreat staff to ensure the safety and quality of fish products exported not compromised.
“The accreditation has made our work and processes more regimented and regulated, which ensures that fish and fish products meet the required specifications before they are exported
“Since the GSA started implementing the ISO/IEC 17020:2012, the rapid alerts indicating that the fish and fish products exported to the EU do not meet the requirement has reduced tremendously.”
Mrs. Nkansah noted, after the renewal of the accreditation, rejected fish and fish products exported to the European Union have reduced.
The Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) is the national accreditation body of the Federal Republic of Germany, legally mandated to carry out accreditation conformity assessment bodies. DAkkS as an independent accreditation body accesses in about 4500 cases the technical competence of accredited laboratories, inspection and certification bodies, whose services are needed in all sectors of the industry.
Source:Nana Agyei Sikapa Ofosu-Manu
