Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
MINISTER OF Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has stated that regulatory measures implored by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has decreased the level of Sudan dye adulteration in palm oil produced in the country from 98% in 2015 to 23%.
According to him, to ensure the safety and quality of food in trade, one of the regulatory measures implored by the FDA was sampling and testing of products in “
“With the issue of adulteration of palm oil, with Sudan dyes coming to the fore, the FDA in 2015 through its monitoring activities, found the level of adulteration to be 98%. Due to key regulatory interventions implemented by the authority, the level of adulteration has generally decreased from 98% in 2015 to 23% in 2021,” the minister told Parliament yesterday.
He was answering questions on the floor of the House during which he indicated that there was an increase of 7% in 2018 to 26% in 2020, but the level dropped to 23% in 2021.
Mr. Manu said key regulatory measures such as intensification of the monitoring of product safety in transit and in trade were employed to deal with the phenomenon, adding that among the measures were the annual nationwide sampling and testing of products, detention, and seizure.
Others are the mandatory disposal of adulterated palm oil, public education at palm oil production sites and markets and sensitization of consumers as well as the training in food safety, good manufacturing, and hygiene practices for producers and other workers in the production chain from August to December 2022.
He explained that this was to improve food handling practices and safety of finished products, pointing out that the authority again initiated the development of traceability concept to facilitate indentation of sources of adulteration along the palm oil supply chain.
“Piloting of the concept has started at the Dome Market and Mallam-Attah Market [in Accra] of the traceability system,” the Health Minister noted.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House