22 bags of 5 kg of Simba rice produced in India were seized and impounded by the Volta Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority with the help of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority.
The rice is believed to contain high levels of lead chemicals and is unfit for human consumption.
While assuring the public of efforts made by the Food and Drugs Authority to ensure the availability of safer food on markets in the region, Mr. Gorden Akurugu, the Volta Regional Director of the Authority, urged the public to also be vigilant about the food they purchase to consume this holiday season.
He claims that the Authority has been on high alert regarding the potential importation of Indian-produced Simba Rice that is thought to be heavy in lead chemicals and unfit for human consumption.
This came when the National Security Ministry issued a red alert in May 2022 following the seizure of thousands of rice samples by Nigerian customs officials.
He noted,” following an enhanced surveillance operations by the Food and Drugs Authority in collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority especially at the Aflao border, 22 bags of 50kgs of the rice were intercepted and impounded at the Aflao border on November 14, 2022.”
Mr. Akurugu claims that “following an enhanced surveillance operations by the Food and Drugs Authority in collaboration with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority especially at the Aflao border, 22 bags of the rice weighing 50 kilograms were intercepted and impounded at the Aflao border on November 14, 2022.”
According to him, the importer was being detained in order to assist in additional investigations and is also subject to regulatory consequences.
“So when we saw the product, with the information from the national security the product was detained and we want the general public to be aware of this Simba Rice coming from India. we can’t rule out that this rice can’t get its way onto the market because of the porous nature of our borders coupled with unapproved routes but we can assure that in approved routes we can and will curtail it like what we have done now,” he noted.
In addition, Mr. Akurugu noted that in October, market surveillance on storage facilities in the area resulted in the discovery and seizure of 4 cartons of 27 packs of Pavo Frankfurt IL Wurstel DI Pollo sausages, for which a preliminary red alert had also been issued regarding consumption in the nation.
“We identified few of the sausages and they are pending disposal today. All what we want the public to know is to ensure that we don’t buy food this festive period that will harm our health or will give us illness. this is the time that when we go to markets we get buy one get one free. Force ripping by trying to force vegetables to get them matured, get them ripe for people to eat because they think they can make money.”
“We want consumers to check whether the product is dented, the product is registered the product is expired and to ensure that they buy product that will not give them allergic effects,” he posited.
Additionally, he gave the locals of the area the assurance that their welfare is a top priority.
