AGI seeks common ground with FDA over beverage advertising guidelines

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has expressed optimism about reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) regarding the implementation of new guidelines for beverage advertisements.

Speaking in an interview ahead of a scheduled meeting with the FDA, AGI’s Chief Executive Officer, Seth Twum Akwaboah, stated that while the association supports regulatory efforts to protect consumers, it is also mindful of the potential negative impact the guidelines could have on businesses.

“We’ve been invited by the FDA to discuss certain regulatory issues affecting the beverage industry. This isn’t our first engagement with them on this matter—they’re in the process of introducing new regulations,” he explained.

“The FDA initially shared a draft of the regulations with our members for feedback. During our meeting, we emphasized that our inputs were constructive and should be reflected in the revised document. They’ve since worked on those revisions and invited us to engage further based on the updated version,” he added.

Mr. Akwaboah noted, however, that AGI has yet to receive the revised documents ahead of the meeting. “We requested the revised version to allow us to prepare and make meaningful contributions. Unfortunately, we haven’t received it yet—possibly because it’s still being finalized. Nonetheless, the engagement is proceeding as scheduled.”