The writer
Who would have thought that there would come a time when the universally acknowledged enemy of food hygiene, the common housefly, would be viewed as the guide for unsafe to eat fish and even vegetables on sale in markets?
Yes, strange as it sounds, that appears to be our present reality. The advice is, when buying fish, or meat, or vegetables, if one doesn’t see flies hovering around that food item, then don’t buy it!
Street knowledge says that the absence of flies means that the particular produce has been treated with a chemical not safe for consumption – and which apparently flies know and therefore shun!
Evidently, flies have become our equivalent of the proverbial ‘canary in a coal mine’. The hitherto scorned pests, have taken on the role canary birds had in parts of Europe years ago:
“Canary birds were used in coal mines from the late 19th century until 1986 to detect lethal, odorless gases like carbon monoxide. Due to their fast metabolism and small size, canaries succumbed to toxic air faster than humans, providing early warning signals for miners to escape.
“The term ‘canary in a coal mine’ became a metaphor for a person or thing that serves as an early warning for potential danger.”
We have been grappling with the fear of illegal mining or galamsey poisons in rivers and agricultural land, with no solution in sight. And now this, the virtual epidemic of alarming food safety crimes, clearly beyond minor food deceptions to be shrugged off.
Hardly a week goes by without frightening news about the poison we are eating, inflicted on us by unscrupulous traders. It appears that every mouthful is a health risk! How many people are battling diseases caused by the risky food and water?
To illustrate, there are terrifying reports that some unscrupulous traders are using formalin, a chemical used in mortuaries and morgues, as a preservative for fish, including koobi, momone, (salted/stinky fish), smoked fish; as well as fresh meat. Experts warn that formalin causes cancer.
If even insects know the danger posed by formalin and other harmful chemicals, why do the perpetrators not know? Or is it that they do know but they are blinded by greed, the desire to make money, even if what they are doing threatens the lives of their fellow human beings?
The infractions are numerous:
Of course, food adulteration is not new in our systems, but the current seeming widespread and growing dangerous food safety breaches are matters to be taken seriously, especially by the Government.
It’s believed that to boost shelf life, tomatoes, and other vegetables, too, are sprayed with unapproved chemicals.
Frighteningly, and unbelievably, it has recently emerged that cement, too, is now allegedly being used as a beans preservative! People may unknowingly be eating cement meant for construction!
Also allegedly being used as a preservative for beans is a strong mice-killer with the tell-tale, ominous nickname ‘bomb’, which is placed in the sacks of beans for sale. A concerned observer noted that it’s so pungent that “those who use it have to wear nose masks before they open the sacks.”
Again, there are countless similar reports. A current video online, shows bunches of green bananas being dipped in a liquid and then being taken out seconds later, magically ripened and yellow, ready for sale to unsuspecting customers!
Recently, the old controversy about polyethylene (or polythene/plastic/rubber) being melted in the oil before plantain chips, or yam chips, are fried, in order to make them crunchy, or crispy, has been making headlines because the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has announced an investigation into the allegations. The FDA statement warns that the practice can cause cancer.
(It’s also recalled that not too long ago, the habit of some producers using polythene to wrap kenkey before boiling, generated similar turmoil and FDA alerts.)
Given the above distressing issues, is it any wonder that an agitated public is calling more and more on the FDA to come to our rescue?
As published on their website: “Established in 1997, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) draw its mandate from Part 6, 7 and 8 of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), to provide and enforce standards for the manufacture, import, export, sale and distribution of food, drugs …in a bid to safeguard public health and safety.”
So, how is the Authority responding to the clear and present danger posed by the food safety crimes currently so rife in Ghana?
That is what I set out to find. On February 25, 2026, seeking to help publicise their efforts, I sent a few questions to a senior official of the FDA whom I had been directed to. My questions were mainly about the effects of ‘galamsey’ contaminated water and soil on food crops, and food preservation with formalin.
“Any FDA measures against such practices?” I asked.
There was no response, therefore, on March 2, I sent a reminder, to which the official sent a cordial, polite response that he would link up with a colleague in the food division to address the issues.
On March 3, when he asked me to talk to the colleague, I explained that, in view of the sensitivity of the issues, I actually wanted written responses; I wasn’t seeking an interview by phone. He still insisted I should contact the colleague because he had told him about my request for written responses.
When I made contact with the colleague on March 10, his bewildering response was that he could have done an interview by phone, but if I wanted written responses, I would need to first write a letter to the CEO, “for record purposes”!
But if the FDA would require an official letter before they would respond to general public unease about galamsey and food safety, matters obviously known to them, why was I not told that immediately?
In any case, how could it be all right for an FDA official to do a phone interview, but insist that for written answers to the same questions I would need to first write a letter to the CEO?
Furthermore, if the senior official thought his colleague could, and should, provide the written responses, why would the person assigned decide that, instead, I should write to the CEO?
I sensed that they were playing me! But, on reflection, perhaps my request fell victim to some kind of office politics.
Surprisingly, the FDA website, too, provided no help concerning the food safety issues now so topical. Even their FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, a strategy which some organisations use to educate the public, was curiously unhelpful.
Some of the FAQs headings posted at the FDA site, as at the time of filing this article on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 were:
Codeine Containing Cough Syrups
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine
So, in 2026 Ghana, those are the major FAQs that Ghanaians lose sleep over? For example, nobody is asking what the Authority is doing about the rising reports of food safety violations, including the use of formalin as a food preservative? Mind-boggling!
But assuming that no concerned citizens have posed critical food safety questions, isn’t it possible for the FDA itself to offer some explanations/advice and add to their FAQs?
Anyway, the urgent question is: how are the food safety miscreants to be stopped?
Those doing it out of ignorance need to be educated; those doing it for profit obviously should be prosecuted. Additionally, critically, my suggestion is that whistleblowers helping to stop food safety offences, must be rewarded with special packages.
I believe it was such circumstances that in the past led to the use of cinema vans by the Information Services Department (ISD) showing educational films nationwide, usually very effective; lifelong lessons learned.
At present, even if there are no ISD cinema vans to tour the country, fortunately, there are FM radio stations practically everywhere. There are also information centres in some communities for public service announcements.
With a little financial support from the Government, surely the radio stations and the information centres could be used in the campaign against harmful food practices?
The harrowing predicament, where virtually every mouthful swallowed puts people in food safety danger needs to stop! Immediate action is needed! The situation has gone beyond anecdotes; and no doubt it is impacting on personal, and the nation’s health bill!
Moreover, we shouldn’t be relying on houseflies for guidance against toxic food items.
By Ajoa Yeboah-Afari