FDA officials (left) inspecting items at the warehouse while the WR NADMO boss looks on
The Western Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Board (FDA) has described food items in stock at the warehouse of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in the Western Region as wholesome and fit for human consumption.
Some of the food items stockpiled at the warehouse include bags of rice, assorted cooking oils and other canned products.
The FDA also indicated that other items such as soaps, mosquito coils and nets among others at the Regional NADMO warehouse are of good quality and that their expiry dates are within the stipulated shelf life.
This came to light when the regional office of NADMO invited officials from the FDA in the region to the NADMO warehouse in Sekondi yesterday to inspect the products in stock and to ascertain whether the goods were of good quality.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE after the inspection, the Western Regional Regulatory Officer of the FDA, Francis Odoom, remarked “we are here to inspect whether some of the products have expired”.
He continued “we also looked at whether the products had been registered with the FDA and whether the goods are wholesome or damaged ones”.
He indicated that after the inspection, the FDA did not see any unwholesome products and that all the goods were in good condition.
He, however, stressed the need for officials of NADMO to ensure that there were enough ventilation in the various stores and warehouses where their products were kept.
He added that warehouses should be neat and that all cobwebs must be cleared on a regular basis.
He advised consumers to make it a habit to check the expiry dates of all products they purchased before consuming them, adding “they should also ensure that the products, whether medicinal, herbal or cosmetics or consumables, have been registered with the FDA”.
For his part, the Western Regional NADMO Coordinator, Mohammed Abdul Ganiyu, indicated that one of the cardinal duties of the organization was to prevent disaster or assist the victims who were affected by any disaster with items including food.
He was happy that the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and the Western Region as a whole had not experienced serious flooding of late and attributed it partly to the fact that his outfit continued to educate the people on what to do to minimize flooding in the area when it rained.
“We have also desilted some gutters in flood-prone areas and I believe that had also contributed to the success we’ve chalked up,” he disclosed.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sekondi