The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has begun investigations into an incident at Oyibi that killed five and left 40 people hospitalised after they consumed ‘waakye’, a local dish made from rice and beans.
Sources close to the authority confirm that the probe is to unravel allegations of suspected food poisoning.
Among the dead are a pregnant woman and a lotto operator.
The ‘waakye’ seller and her young child have also been hospitalised alongside the others.
Waakye is a favourite of many Ghanaians, eaten at any time of the day. It is a mixture of rice and beans, with rice browned by sorghum red leaves. It is served with stew and hot sauce.
In 2022, a similar incident happened at Takoradi, where patrons of a popular ‘waakye’ joint had a bad day from sunrise. They all experienced colic pain instantly upon eating the food, were hospitalised, and in some cases, with tragic consequences.
The food regulatory bodies weighed in with investigations to uncover the root cause of the unfortunate incident. Yet, the outcome of that process was not widely published to guide future behaviour.