By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has warned the general public to exercise extreme caution when purchasing palm oil due to ongoing concerns about adulteration of cancerous substances like the notorious ‘Sudan Four’ dye.
This warning comes in light of the FDA’s continued efforts to combat the presence of hazardous substances, specifically the notorious ‘Sudan Four’ dye, which has been detected in some palm oil products circulating on the market.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mr. Roderick Daddey-Adjei, speaking to the reporters expressed deep concern over the persistence use of ‘Sudan Four’ dye, by some unscrupulous individuals despite the Authority’s rigorous enforcement actions.
However, Mr. Daddey-Adjei acknowledged the progress made in reducing the prevalence of adulterated palm oil but emphasised that even a small percentage of contamination remains unacceptable.
“But we are still not happy about that small percentage that is there, which means that people who perpetrated the activity are still lurking in the dark. And we also want to also let those who think that they can come back and keep on doing this, that their days are numbered. Because already with this one that we even did, we did some arrests, we have handed them over to the police,” he added
The presence of this industrial dye, which is banned for use in food products due to its carcinogenic properties, poses a serious health risk to consumers.
