The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has advised the public to exercise caution during the Christmas festivities and verify the wholesomeness of food items they intended to purchase, in order to prevent them from consuming unwholesome products.

Mr. Abu Sumaila, the Western Regional Manager of the FDA who gave the advice, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi indicated that during the Christmas festivities there were a lot of reduction sales and product promotions and thus, advised the public to properly check the expiry dates of such items.

He charged the public to verify whether the expiry dates of such products had not been tampered with and the packaging not compromised.

“Some business operators are very smart therefore during the yuletide they label their products to look like the popular brands on the market, so you may pick them without properly examining them, but you later realise that you have bought the wrong products,” he explained.

Mr. Sumaila, therefore, entreated the public not to be excited over the massive reduction of some products, saying “if an average price of a product cost GHc10.00 but was suddenly reduced to GHc3.00 during the yuletide, you must be extremely careful patronising them”.

With regards to frozen meat products, the Regional FDA boss advised the public to take the quantity of meat needed for meal preparation in their iced state and keep the rest at a suitable temperature so that they did not melt or thaw.

According to him, microorganisms grew faster in thawed meat products, which could eventually contaminate them and threatened the health of their unsuspecting consumers.

Reviewing some of the activities the Authority undertook in the Region during the year, Mr. Sumaila stated that the Authority seized over 200 boxes of fake detergents and destroyed them and also undertook various public sensitizations programmes.

He said the Authority also inspected various sachet water producing operators in the Region and regularised their activities, while those that did not meet the required standard were closed down.

He, however, complained of inadequate staff which impeded the Authority’s ability to respond promptly to some customer complaints and therefore, expressed optimism that the authorities concerned would respond appropriately.