The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) has sounded the alarm over the influx of fake and substandard baby diapers into Ghana, many of which have been rejected in their countries of origin due to safety concerns.
According to the CPA, weak enforcement of regulations is enabling unscrupulous importers to flood local markets with these hazardous products, posing serious health risks to infants.
The warning follows a recent crackdown by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), which led to the confiscation and incineration of over one million pieces of substandard diapers. The action came after increasing complaints from parents, particularly mothers, about diaper-related rashes, infections, and discomfort.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, May 28, Nana Prempeh Aduhene, Executive Director of Mediation and Arbitration at the CPA, revealed disturbing findings from their investigations.
“Our investigation shows that some of these diapers are rejected in their home countries. When they are going through production, some of these diapers are rejected, and they end up in the trash can. But because of greed, somebody goes there, picks them up, bags them into a container, brings them to Ghana, and then repacks them into plain poly bags, and then they sell them on the market,” he said.
Aduhene explained that the CPA alerted the FDA upon receiving the information. The FDA had allowed importers to store the products in designated warehouses, but later shut down some facilities upon discovering improper practices.
“We do not have a problem with importing diapers into the country, but they have to go through rigorous tests that have been confirmed with the FDA and the Ghana Standards Authority,” he noted.
“All these diapers we are talking about, FDA told us they were banned from coming into the country, so we are surprised that they have found their way into the country,” he added.
Aduhene further indicated that their investigations point to China as the likely source of the rejected products.
Consumer Protection Agency commends FDA for destroying over 1m fake diapers