GHANA – The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana has stepped up its surveillance to stop the influx of unwholesome products entering the markets during this Christmas season.
According to the FDA, the monitoring of the markets and warehouses by its surveillance team with support from the security agencies was to promote public health safety among consumers in the country.
There are typically a lot of business discounts around the Christmas season, some of which could seem too good to be true.
Many merchants will take whatsoever measure to outperform the competition and boost profit, including discounts and promotions.
Nonetheless, as the season approaches, a broad variety of odd products usually appear on the market, with dishonest vendors taking advantage of gullible customers by offering them absurd discounts.
A lot of traders join the masses to sell products that are either expired or unapproved. During the holiday season, these unwholesome items are frequently stockpiled and released onto the market.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, the FDA’s Head of Communications, Mrs. Rhoda Appiah, made this declaration and added that the team had begun inspecting markets and warehouses to make sure that out-of-date and unwholesome products were not distributed to the general public.
“At the warehouse, we are checking their storage practices, pest control, and unwholesome goods among others to ensure they do not flood the markets,” she added.
She advised the public to avoid purchasing products nearing expiry because doing so could result in food poisoning and accompanying food-borne illnesses like diarrhea, which can be fatal.
“You must be vigilant and look out for date markings, batch numbers, clear writings in English, bloated cans, and goods exposed to the sun before buying them for consumption,” she cautioned.
The Communications boss claimed that the FDA had upped the ante on public education on food safety issues, particularly in markets.
She pleaded with the public to alert the Authority about any unusual trading activity so that they could take prompt action, reports Business Ghana.
“Food safety is a shared responsibility hence all must endeavor to support the FDA to ensure public health safety at all times,” she added.
Mrs. Appiah reaffirmed FDA’s commitment to improving public health safety and admonished dealers to stop engaging in actions that put customers’ health at risk.
“Traders must desist from any activity that endangers the health of consumers, when caught administrative charges would be imposed, goods confiscated and disposed of and prosecution,” she added.
She urged the media to work with the FDA to strengthen its program of public sensitization to ensure food safety for consumers.
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