Consumers have been urged to look out for identification tags of palm oil sellers before making their purchase.
Speaking to Onua Business News, the Public Relations Officer of the Oil Palm Producers Association, Maxwell Nii Commey says traders in oil palm have been certified and have been given identification tags by the Food and Drugs Authority.
The certification tag is only given to traders following education on the dangers of adulteration and after their products have been taken through thorough laboratory analysis by the Food and Drugs Authority. This has become imperative as it is difficult for one to ascertain if the oil is unadulterated without laboratory analysis.
Mr. Commey says the Oil Palm producers Association and the FDA have been organising sensitization campaigns in the various markets on the dangers of oil palm adulteration and how to identify adulterated products.
The campaign has so far been taken to various markets in Accra, with their next stop being the Ashanti Region. Large quantities of palm oil were last year confiscated by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
Laboratory analysis revealed that about 98% of the palm oil confiscated from the various markets in Accra was contaminated with the sudan IV dye. Some producers and traders mixed the palm oil with the dye to enhance its colour, and also to make it more appealing to consumers.
The dye when consumed could cause various kinds of cancers and other health complications. The Authority has following this development heightened its market surveillance.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director for the Bureau of Public Safety Nana Yaw Akwada has welcomed the news but however urged the Food and Drugs Authority to increase publicity on the new development.
By Rosina Forster
