Accra, Sept. 16, GNA – Officials of Food and Drugs Board (FDB) in collaboration with the Police on Friday arrested six people for allegedly re-bagging rice into used known branded bags to deceive consumers to believe they were purchasing their favourite brands.

They were arrested red-handed re-bagging the rice under poor hygienic conditions at a warehouse at Okaishie in the main central business centre of Accra and had their sealing machine also confiscated.

The rice were being re-bagged into used registered Sultan, Golden Roses, Royal Feast, Big Joe, Uncle Sam and Stallion bags collected from refuse dumps, restaurants and hotels.

The suspects are Musa Yusif 20, Iddrisu Ibrahim 18, Hamidu Ramah 19, Saine Sadu 18 of Nigerien descent, Ibrahim Alhassan 24 and Fuseni Mohammed 32 who claim to be Ghanaians.

Speaking to the GNA in Accra, Mr Kofi Essel, the Acting Head of Food Inspectorate Department, said Fuseni Mohammed had been arrested for the same offence early this year and was on trial until his arrest.

“PNDC Law 305B states that any person who labels, packages, sells or advertise 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,” he explained.

He said the FDB had intensified its monitoring activities to clamp down on people who engage in acts to tarnish the image of reputable companies in the country and urged the public not to hesitate to bring to its attention any person or persons involved in food handling practices that posed a risk to public health.

The suspects are in police custody.