Dr. Martin Kusi, the Western Regional Director of the Foods and Drugs Authority, has reminded Ghanaians about the need to avoid buying products with tampered or altered labels.
According to him, the action was a deliberate one initiated by businesses to hide expiration dates on products which had the tendency to compromise the health and safety of consumers.
Dr. Kusi told the Ghana News Agency that as the yuletide approached, businesses would be pushing many products on the market under many promotional tools and was therefore a matter of concern that consumers become alert and purchased right to ensure sickness free season.
He also entreated shop owners to practice the FIFO system which ensured that products went out as First in First Out to avoid keeping products for a longer period.
Dr. Kusi said, “I will also urge buyers to enter shops and buy rather than buying on streets for items that have been exposed to the sun with chemical and microbiological reactions.
“This practice of sellers displaying pack drinks and water under the sun, tin products among others, is very worrying and as an Authority, we will continue with our market surveillance and education to nib the practice in the bud,” Dr. Kusi added.
He also called on food vendors to avoid mixing salads with additives and covering it to avoid contamination, adding, “they also must not use hard soaps but liquid soaps to wash bowls to avoiding sticking of hard soaps to bowls which may cause problems to the consumer”.
GNA