FDA closes down 4 supermarkets for selling unregistered products

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One of the closed shops

Four supermarkets at Osu in Accra have been closed down by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for selling unregistered products.

The shops, whose goods were labelled in Chinese, are Jia Hua Agricultural Trade Company, Panda Mart, Downwind Sail and Hauang Jia YI Limited supermarkets.

A team from FDA in collaboration with the police, last Thursday, put under lock and key the Chinese-owned supermarkets, which were selling pharmaceutical drugs, cigarettes and food (consumables).

The FDA would also sanction the culprits to pay administrative fine of at least GH¢25,000 each.

The Head of Enforcement Directorate at the FDA, Mr Vigil Edward Prah-Ashun, in an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Times, in Accra on Friday, said his outfit would supervise the supermarkets to re-label all their products in the English language.

He said the FDA would also ensure that the pharmaceutical products which were seized during a swoop two weeks ago were not

sold at the supermarkets for the public.

Mr Prah-Ashun said failure by the culprits to register and label their products in English language was an offence, because consumers must be able to read the inscriptions on products.

He said that such practices contravened the Public Health Act and the labelling guide LI 1541, which required all products imported into the country to be labelled in English language.

He said this would guide consumers to know where the product was coming from and help them check on allergies.

Mr Prah-Ashun stated that the FDA would investigate how large quantities of the product entered the country.

He urged the public to partner the FDA in ensuring safety of consumers by reporting such practice to the Authority.

Mr Prah-Ashun appealed to the public to desist from purchasing such products, because their safety could not be guaranteed.

It would be recalled that the Ghanaian Times reported in the Friday, August 23, 2024, edition, that large quantity of unregistered products were confiscated by FDA officials from the four supermarkets.

According to the FDA, products imported into the country should be written in English to allow for the identification of manufacturers, addresses, countries of origin, and expiration dates, among other details, to guide the consumer.

Pharmaceutical drugs supposed to be sold exclusively at pharmacies and not supermarkets.

BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI