Three tonnes of unwholesome goods destroyed by FDA in Cape Coast

The Central Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has safely destroyed three tonnes of unwholesome goods gathered between the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.

The products, included drugs, food, cosmetics, household chemical substances, were either bloated, expired, dented or had defaced date marks.

The move was said to be part of measures to help protect the health and safety of consumers and to prevent scavengers getting the products back into the markets.

Ms Francisca Obeng, Principal Regulatory Officer of the FDA, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast, indicated that the items seized amounted to more than GHC109,880.00.

She said they were seized through regular post market surveillance activities in warehouses, pharmacies, supermarkets and voluntary donation of expired products from two organizations.

She said her outfit would intensify market surveillance and inspections to reduce the sale of unregulated items to safeguard the health of consumers.

Ms Obeng noted that their regular public sensitization on the need to voluntarily surrender unwholesome goods for disposal had yielded much result as there had been an increase in that regard.

The Regional Regulatory Officer entreated sales points, distributors, warehouse operators, among others to surrender all unwholesome products to the FDA for safe disposal as failure to do so could attract prosecution.

Cautioning the consuming public, she urged buyers to beware of product labelling infractions, impulse buying or products sold at ridiculously low prices to avoid buying unwholesome goods.

Ms Obeng said safety must be prioritized and in doing so buyers must be critical about what was being bought for consumption, taking into consideration expiry dates and the general physical appearance of products.

“There should always be a cause for alarm if you hear slogans like “buy one get one free. Begin to ask questions, be very critical about what you decide to buy and consume, make sure the product is safe and not dented in anyway,” she cautioned.