Officials of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), in collaboration with the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), have begun a region-wide operation to seize substandard, expired, and fake baby diapers from the market in the Ashanti Region.
The confiscated products, authorities say, pose serious health risks to infants and consumers.
The joint exercise follows intelligence-gathering, extensive market surveillance, and laboratory analyses conducted on several diaper brands.
The tests revealed that many of the products were far below acceptable safety standards and contained contaminants capable of causing infections and other complications in babies.
Describing the situation as alarming, both the FDA and CPA warned that the growing influx of fake and defective baby diapers onto the Ghanaian market threatens public health.
Officials stressed that infants, who are particularly vulnerable to microbial infections, face the greatest danger.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, December 9, Ashanti Regional FDA Director Nathaniel Nana Kwabena Nkrumah said the Authority remains resolute in clamping down on the importation and sale of illegal and harmful products. He urged consumers to be vigilant and report suspicious items.
“If you are buying a product, and you are not sure of its safety, prompt the FDA. We will verify and give you feedback so that you can purchase the right product,” he said.
The Executive Director of CPA in charge of Mediation and Arbitration, Nana Prempeh Okogyeabour Aduhene, praised the FDA for its collaboration and reiterated the agency’s commitment to safeguarding consumers.
He noted that while regulatory bodies are doing their best, the challenge is worsened by porous borders that enable the inflow of fake goods.
“There are many fake products on the market to be tackled. It is not the fault of the FDA; people use all kinds of means to bring these items into the country,” he said.
