Ahead of the Christmas festivities, the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), has cleared imported chicken and other meat products, as healthy for consumption. In a four paged document debunking claims of imported chicken and other products are detrimental to the health of consumers, the FDA indicated that all products imported undergo rigorous testing to ensure their safety for consumption before they are released onto the market.

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This follows the publication of a news article purporting that “some of the chicken and other meat products imported into the country appear to have been slaughtered many years back, with most having been injected for preservation purposes, and with the likelihood of dire health implications high, including cancer.

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”The said publication is attributed to the Agribusiness Sector of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), specifically the Vice Chair of the AGI-Agriculture Sector, Fatima Alimohamed.The story further claimed 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".However, the FDA has refuted all these claims.

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 “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.

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 “These processes include evaluation of documents such as the Certificate of Analysis with detailed test results, Veterinary Certificate from the country of origin, and Veterinary Import Permit from the Veterinary Services Department of Ghana,” the FDA added. Further, the FDA indicated that it has a mini laboratory at the Tema Port to perform testing of meat products before release.

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In addition, the FDA performs thorough inspections on each consignment that arrives at the ports to ascertain the 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.

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Any consignment found to be unwholesome is subjected to the requisite regulatory procedures, including safe disposal and sanctioning of the importer,” FDA added. With the aforementioned bureaucracy governing the process of importing frozen foods, the FDA could not fathom out the reason behind the said publication.

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 “Moreover, importers of regulated products are required to register those products in accordance with Section 99 of the Public Health Act. 851 …”“The Authority hereby reassures the public that the health and safety of the citizenry is a priority for the Authority and would continue to work assiduously throughout this Christmas season and beyond to ensure that only safe and nutritious foods are sold on our markets.

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“Consumers are also encouraged to immediately bring to the notice of the FDA any observation of an instance of contaminated or spoiled food or expired chicken or other meat products that comes to their notice,” the FDA added. Source: The Independent Ghana

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