Don’t buy products exposed to sunlight- FDB

September 29, 2008 (Page 32)

THE Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has warned the public to desist from purchasing cosmetics, drugs and canned products that are exposed to direct sunlight.
According to the FDB, such products tend to lose their value when exposed to the high temperatures, posing a health risk to consumers.
The Deputy Chief Executive of the FDB in charge of Food, Mr John Odame-Darkwah, told the Daily Graphic that it was, therefore, wrong for traders to expose such products to the sun.
He said cosmetics, drugs, canned foods and perishable food items must be sold under 15 degrees Celsius, adding that “it is mandatory to sell drugs and cosmetics under these conditions.”
According to him, storing products under poor conditions posed health risks as the products lost their full potency and nutritional value as declared by the manufacturer.
Mr Odame-Darkwah advised consumers to look out for expiry dates, as well as the condition of packaging, to find out whether or not the packaging was defaced, discoloured, dented, rusted, bloated, as well as look out for anything that might look suspicious.
He cited instances where some retailers either scratched off expiry dates or covered those dates to prevent consumers from knowing that their products were expired.
He also advised consumers to purchase products from places where retailers could easily be traced if the need arose.
Mr Odame-Darkwah noted that the problem was that people did not carefully examine the authenticity or otherwise of products before purchase.
According to him, it had come to the Board’s notice that majority of Ghanaians purchased products anywhere and at anytime without paying attention to the genuineness or otherwise of those products.
He noted that such attitude gave room to miscreants to continue to produce fake and inferior products while traders sold them with impunity.
He, therefore, urged the public to partner the FDB in curbing the sale of expired and fake products by paying more attention to products they purchased and report their suspicions to the FDB for the necessary action to be taken.
“The issue of safety calls for collective responsibility on the part of the producer, the distributor, the retailer, the consumer, the general public and regulatory bodies as a whole,” Mr Odame-Darkwah stated, adding that when that was done “we will save ourselves and generations to come”.
According to him, “the wealth of every nation depends on the health of the populace”.
Mr Odame-Darkwah explained further that dates were written to assure consumers that the manufacturer could guarantee the nutritional quality of products.
He said it was expedient for products to be stored under effective ventilation, as well as hygienic conditions, adding that consumers must always look out for information regarding storage conditions and strictly adhere to them.
He also warned consumers to refrain from using canned products as decorations, adding that “you must buy as and when you need them. Do not over stock because the products would get damaged when you do not store them under appropriate conditions”.