The Western Regional Directorate of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has been embarking on the Watch Campaign to sensitize the public on things to look out for when buying products on the markets, especially during this Yuletide season.
Among the Campaign procedures are facility inspection, market surveillance which is also done throughout the year, and encompasses of whom, where and what to look out for when buying and selling food and other regulated products before, during and after this year Christmas season.
This was made known by Mr Solomon Kwabena Boni, Regional Information Officer at the Western Regional Office of the FDA in an interview with Spice News on preparations to deepen the public awareness on food safety as we celebrate Christmas.
Among the things to look out for when buying products during this season and beyond he mentioned include, who you are buying from whether the person is neatly dressed and practicing hygiene, where you are buying from whether the place is a registered facility or hygienic environment.
“Watch what you are buying like the state or nature of the product, having registration markings like expiry date, best before, manufacturing date, storage condition, uses or indication, not dented, bloated, defaced markings or tampered red date markings such as date with different front size or colour”, he added.
According to him, though patrolling the borders to make sure that no products get into the country illegally rests on the Customs and the Immigration Services, they have Officers all over the borders who are making sure that all products that enter the country are regulated and meet standards for use.
“This is the reason why from time-to-time we conduct surveillance on the market to check whether all the products are the ones they have certified and clamp down on uncertified products”, he emphasized.
Mr Boni hinted that the Authority has a team at Ellembelle and Jomoro in the Nzema Area who are doing surveillance and one at Tarkwa doing the same to withdraw non compliant products from the market and to protect consumers.
He pointed out that his outfit was perfectly on course with its Post Market Surveillance (PMS) to salvage unregistered, counterfeit, expired and unwholesome products as well as other non-compliant FDA related products on the Ghanaian market.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
