Ghana’s FDA destroys expired products in school as it begins disposal exercise

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Upper East Region, Ghana has destroyed 122 cartons of expired carnation milk from the Bawku Senior High School (BAWSEC).

Mr Sebastian Mawuli Hotor, the Upper East Regional Director of the FDA in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the products were crashed and disposed off, said the FDA got wind of the expired milk with the assistance of the Headmaster and Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

He said the cartons of milk were stocked for use by students, but eventually expired when schools closed down at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, “They could not deplete the quantities available and, therefore, they got expired.”

Mr Hotor said after auditing, the FDA swiftly moved in to have the products crashed and safely disposed of to prevent students from consuming the unwholesome milk, which could have implications on their health.

Asked if there was the possibility of consumption of the milk by students, the FDA Director said, “I don’t believe that, because from our investigations, they were specially separated and quarantined, and the FDA was informed to do the appropriate disposal.”

After the FDA crashed the expired milk, it further undertook safe disposal of several unwholesome regulated products including food and pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, herbal medicines, food supplements, and household chemicals all valued at about GH¢75,450.68.

The products were seized from provision shops, Over Counter(OTC) chemical sellers shops, pharmacies, warehouses, Herbal Clinics, Cosmetic shops, cold stores, school kitchens, and open markets across all 15 Municipalities and Districts in the Upper East Region from the past one year.

Mr Hotor indicated that the mandate of the FDA in the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 required the FDA to undertake safe disposal of unwholesome regulated products in the country.

The purpose of the disposal exercise was to rid the market of expired, counterfeit, contaminated, unregistered, and all other kinds of unwholesome regulated products on the market, and prevent the potential re-entry of these unwholesome products into the supply chain, he said.