The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has seized some expired food items from the storerooms of the Zuarungu Senior High School (SHS) in the Upper East Region.
The action was taken when some operation staff from the FDA unexpectedly visited the school’s campus in the Bolgatanga East District.
The team called on school administrators to adhere to food safety standards within educational settings.
Non-compliance, according to the FDA, could lead to penalties.
In an interview, the FDA’s Upper East Regional Director, Sebastian Mawuli Hotor, encouraged school administrators to ensure that their facilities’ food supplies meet FDA safety standards.
“We went to Zuarungu SHS as one of the school kitchen inspection that we do. In one of their storerooms, we found about five different brands of products which were bad and then I think one out of them was unregistered as well. We got some from neighbouring schools as well as from Buffer stock.
“From the document we requested for, we were given and then the products were the Free SHS mackerel, the royal gold hard wheat flour, pavani evaporated filled milk, paka tomato paste and queen [pilchards] in tomato sauce”.
“These were the expired products that we found. These were products that were supplied to the school for feeding the children. As part of our mandate, we confiscated them and took them for safe disposal, and it is something we will repeat from time to time just to ensure that food safety guidelines are adhered to in all food establishments, including food kitchens,” he stated in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Citi News.
Meanwhile, authorities from the school are yet to speak on the incident.
The FDA, as a state-owned regulatory body, continues to execute actions to ensure public food safety.
Recently, the authority cautioned traders against using calcium carbide to ripen mangoes, as it is hazardous and could negatively affect their health and that of consumers.
The FDA revealed in a statement that an ongoing survey it was conducting had not shown any mangoes containing calcium carbide.
“The survey and testing are still ongoing alongside public education by the FDA on the hazards of using chemicals to enhance the ripening of fruits,” the statement said.