Wele or Coat is the name for a meat-snack in Ghana which is very cheap and common on the Ghanaian market.

“Wele” is hard and others soft, however it is a common delicacy in almost every meal-particularly cooked rice, “wakye”, ground-nut and palm nut soup.

“Wele’s” affordability has perhaps made many Ghanaians to lose sight of its nutritional value and like health hazards.

Below are the 6 major reasons why eating Wele is Dangerous;

1. Most of these animal hides are meant for industrial use.

2. Some of the animal hides are sometimes pre-treated with industrial chemicals, which are not of food grade and are toxic and injurious to human health.

3. Some companies legally import hides from countries such as Lebanon and Turkey, while majority of the product are smuggled into the country through the porous borders.

4. The imported animal hides are meant for industrial use by leather industries for the manufacturing of items such as shoes, bags, belts and others.

5. Health hazards inherent in the consumption of such animal hides include risk of liver, kidney and heart damage, increased risk of Aplastic anaemia, central nervous system toxicity, cancer and more.

6. Livestock farmers are advised to note that industrial animal hides could not be used in the manufacture of animal feed.