{"id":162638,"date":"2015-10-27T09:30:01","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T09:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=162638"},"modified":"2015-10-27T10:43:44","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T10:43:44","slug":"fdas-alert-on-palm-oil-is-sweeping-and-panicky-franklin-cudjoe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/10\/fdas-alert-on-palm-oil-is-sweeping-and-panicky-franklin-cudjoe\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA\u2019s alert on palm oil is sweeping and panicky – Franklin Cudjoe"},"content":{"rendered":"
I have read an online publication titled \u201cDon\u2019t buy palm oil on the market – FDA Warns\u201d and I wanted to draw the public\u2019s attention to some important matters as far as the publication and the palm oil industry is concerned.<\/p>\n
The story published on October 26, 2015 stated in part \u201cThe Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is warning against the consumption of palm oil sold on the market across the country.\u00a0The Authority has currently heightened its market surveillance after discovering oil samples picked from ten markets in the Greater Accra Region contained highly dangerous textile dye which causes cancer.\u00a0The FDA in a statement said it randomly sampled 50 palm oil.\u201d<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”lJKwKjQ2l6TU6xJUKgp6t1IdQCfHPSGo”]It continued \u201cThe results showed that 98% of the palm oil tested positive to Sudan IV dye.\u00a0Following up, the FDA on Tuesday, 20th October, 2015 in collaboration with the Narcotics Division of the Ghana Police Service apprehended some dealers suspected to be involved in this practice and confiscated the products, which were also analysed and found to contain Sudan III and Sudan IV dyes, leading to the arrest of 22 market women and a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, according to the FDA, the markets the unwholesome palm oil were found are: \u201cMallam market, MallamAtta market, Dome market, Dansoman market, Agbogbloshie market, Kaneshie market, Tema community 1 market, Ashaiman market, Madina market and Makola No.2 market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much as I commend the FDA for being alert, I wanted clarification on a few questions.<\/p>\n
How long have they been conducting this market surveillance? How widespread is the adulterous act across the country given only \u201c50 palm oil\u201d was sampled in Accra? Were other markets (shops, malls etc) apart from the 10 community markets also sampled? Do these sampled palm oil include those from well established plantations and processing companies in the country?<\/p>\n