In a bid to combat the circulation of fake, unregistered, and adulterated products, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has launched a special market surveillance operation at its Sunyani office.
This initiative aims to clamp down on traders involved in the illicit trade of substandard goods.
Francisca Patoah Agyarko, a Principal Regulatory Officer at the FDA office, explained that their personnel have been conducting random visits to various markets in the region.
Their focus is on scrutinizing the manufacturing and expiry dates of cosmetics, food items, and medications.
“Our goal is to eliminate counterfeit, unregistered, expired, and adulterated products from the market in order to safeguard public health,” stated Mrs. Agyarko in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.
The decision to launch this operation was driven by the porous nature of the Ghana-Cote D’Ivoire borders in the region.
The unrestricted flow of goods across these borders has resulted in the smuggling of unsafe products into the country.
Mrs. Agyarko emphasized the importance of consumer vigilance, urging the public to check the expiry dates and FDA logos on products, particularly items such as oil, rice, canned goods, and medications.
Furthermore, the Principal Regulatory Officer appealed to the general public to report any suspicions regarding traders involved in the smuggling of food items to the FDA. She stated, “We rely on the collective support of everyone to eliminate contaminated products from the market.”
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