The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has destroyed more than ten thousand pieces of expired food, drugs, cosmetics and tobacco products at the Siriyiri landfill site in the Upper West Region.
The expired products are valued at about ¢221,585. The Authority mounted market surveillance in all eleven districts and municipalities in the region and seized the items from about 200 Shops, over the Counter medicine shops as well as warehouses.
The Upper West Regional Head of the FDA, Albert Ankomah, in an interview after the activity, said the market surveillance will continue unabated and cautioned shop owners to desist from selling expired products to the public.
He said any person apprehended selling expired products commits an offence under Section 148 of the Public Health Act, 2012, (Act 581) and is liable to a fine of 2,500 penalty units or face a summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not more than five years.
Mr Ankomah, advised retailers to check for date marking, manufacturing date, expiry date and batch number of products before buying them to sell. He observed that all products entering the Ghanaian market are required to have English Language as part of the labels, and asked retailers to check the labels to ensure they were buying genuine products to sell.
Mr Ankomah entreated shop owners to also monitor products in their shops to ensure they do not sell expired products to the public.
