Some unscrupulous traders who ply their business in consumable goods such as biscuits and soft drinks across the various markets in the capital are selling to the unsuspecting public food items that could cause food poisoning.
The Today newspaper has gathered that this is the result of a heinous crime, where some traders change expiry dates on all ready expired products and repackage them for the market. To make matters worse, it was discovered that the nefarious practice is fast gaining grounds in the capital.
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB), in its quest to combat the �food poisoning� menace ahead of the Christmas holidays, has intercepted about hundred boxes of Rama Glucose biscuits infested with life maggots, our sources reveal.
The FDB exercise, our team discovered, was part of the board�s random routine market checks. According to sources, the boxes containing the maggot-infested biscuits were neatly repackaged, re-sealed and packed into boxes and displayed in front of the First Gate Shopping Mall at the CMB Market in Accra last Wednesday.
Checks by the Today newspaper indicate that these unwholesome biscuits were being sold to customers at much reduced prizes, ranging from GH�20p-GH�50p, instead of the regular price of �1.00. And customers were rushing to buy it in their numbers.
Confirming the incident to the Today newspaper the Head of Food Inspectorate at the FDB, Mr. Ebenezer Kofi Essel, said the unannounced exercise was aimed at checking on expired products that are normally brought unto the market by retailers ahead of occasions, such as Christmas and Easter.
Mr. Essel indicated that the owner of the maggot-infested biscuits, upon sensing danger, took to his heels. He advised consumers �to check the expiry date of products [they wish to] buy from the market notwithstanding how cheap the prize may be,� he added.
He stressed that �the Christmas festivities are full of surprises, and these [unwholesome foods] are some of the packages that await consumers. And it is time they become aware of shops that advertise reduced prizes on consumable goods. Such products might be on the verge of expiring within the shortest time.�
He further called on the general public to refrain from shielding wrongdoers who take advantage on the ignorance of some Ghanaians to make money. He urged people to report such unscrupulous persons to the appropriate bodies for the necessary sanctions to be taken against them.
Mr. Essel assured consumers of the FDB�s commitment to ensure public safety by continuing to embark on random checks before, during and after the yuletide.
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