“The FDA assures the public that chicken and other meat products that are cleared from the ports by the FDA for the Ghanaian market are taken through internationally accredited protocols and procedures that ensure the safety of these products.”
This assurance was contained in a statement issued by the Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) in response to a news report published on GhanaWeb on 4th November 2022 with the caption: AGI RAISE RED FLAG ON IMPORTED CHICKEN INTO GHANA.
The publication in question quotes Vice Chair of AGI Agriculture Sector Fatima Alimohamed as telling the B&FT that some chicken and other meat products imported into the country appeared to have been slaughtered many years back, with most having been injected for preservation purposes with its attendant dire health implications including cancer.
Ms Alimohamed is reported to have further indicated that “the situation is dire, and Ghana must move quickly to curtail the growing import of likely cancer-infested chicken and meat onto the local market.”
In a statement, the FDA said the claims made in the publication were unfortunate and regrettable as the authority has all international protocols and procedures in place to ensure the safety of chicken and other meat products.
“These processes include evaluation of documents such as the Certificate of Analysis with detailed tests results, Veterinary Certificate from the country of origin, and Veterinary Import Permit from the Veterinary Services Department of Ghana,” the statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer claimed.
According to the FDA CEO, the authority has gone the extra mile to install a mini laboratory at the Tema Port in 2018 to test meat products before they are released.
“In addition, the FDA performs thorough inspection on each consignment that arrives at the ports to ascertain product’s compliance with food safety standards.”
“Specifically, each consignment is checked for discolouration and odour, packaging integrity. Where necessary, confirmatory microbiology tests for the absence of microorganisms such as salmonella and listeria are conducted before the products are released onto the market.”
“Any consignment found to be unwholesome is subjected to the requisite regulatory procedures including safe disposal and sanctioning of the importer,” the statement indicated.
Story: Sena Nombo/Radiogoldlive.com
