Accra, Jan. 31, GNA - A retailer has been arrested for re-labelling fake and expired corned beef by wrapping Exeter Corned Beef labels over existing labels to deceive unsuspecting consumers into thinking that they are purchasing a genuine product.

The Food and Drugs Board, with assistance from the Ghana Police Service, caused the arrest of the distributor/retailer whose name was given as Mr. Kissi.

He was retailing the fake product at the Accra Central Business District (Okaishie) Zone 18, around the Fire Service Area. A statement signed by Dr. Stephen K. Opuni, Chief Executive of FDB, an= d copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday noted that an evaluation of samples of the fake Exeter Corned Beef further revealed that some of the cans had the original expiry dates cleaned and replaced with a fake expiry date of December, 2012 while in some instances the products had expired since January, 2008. The FDB assured the public that with the assistance of the security agencies it would do everything possible to rid the market of any such fake corned beef.

The FDB said its investigations revealed that two different corned bee= f products, CB Corned Beef and Matador Corned Beef, had been relabelled by pasting Exeter Corned Beef labels on them.

According to the FDB, the original Exeter Corned Beef permitted for sale in Ghana had a lithograph labelling, (i.e. the label is printed directly on the can and not on paper), and therefore asked the public to look out for that feature when buying any Exeter Corned Beef. It also cautioned distributors and retailers against the supply, display and sale of the fake Exeter Corned Beef since such acts contravened Section 3 of the Food and Drugs Law, 1992 (PNDCL 305B). The law states: 93Any person who labels, packages, sells or advertise= s any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive as regards its character, nature, value, substance, quality, composition, merit or safety, commits an offence."

The Board advised the public to report any persons associated with the distribution of the fake Exeter Corned Beef or any other fake/imitated food product to the Food and Drugs Board on any of the following telephone numbers: 0244-337235, 0244-337243, 0244-337247, 0244-337251