Asempa News investigations have uncovered a number of unapproved consumables on sale on Ghanaian markets, contrary to warnings by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). The products included Sunflower Shito and Sunflower Honey Fresh, Pat Delicious Shito, and Pure Natural Honey manufactured by Honey Tree Bee Farms at Somanya. They come in small, medium and big sizes, priced GH¢3.00, GH¢5.00 and GH¢6.00 respectively. The FDB is presently waging a war against what it says is the illegal distribution and sale of a number of products to the general public, warning that offenders face prosecution in the courts. Curiously, an eleven digit contact telephone number on the Pat Delicious Shito (which is one digit more than a normal phone number), goes to someone who sounded like an old lady who claimed she was at Asante Mampong in the Ashanti Region but who denied manufacturing the product. Asempa News’ reporter Kwaku Antwi-Otoo ran into a woman selling these products which had no manufacture or expiry dates, and also did not have FDB embossed approval stamp. The woman selling the products tried to convince Kwaku about the authenticity and quality of the product, without any clue that she was in the wrong. Asempa News contacted the Head of Foods Inspectorate Division at FDB, Kofi Essel, who explained that most of the local manufacturers of ready-made foods design their cover labels before going to the FDB for approval. He explained that it could happen that the producer has been registered by FDB, but the labels were designed before the registration so the registration number is not the label. “It is also possible that the product has not been registered with the FDB,” he added. Meanwhile Kofi Essuman, Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Manager at Unilever Ghana Limited, has cautioned Ghanaians to be wary of the kind of products they purchase on the market especially those which are sold cheaply by sellers who cry ‘donkomi, donkomi!’ (Reduced to clear). This call comes in the wake of the FDB exposing a number of fake and unapproved products on the market. The FDB last week seized a number of herbal medicinal preparations from its manufacturer for allegedly selling them to the public without authorisation, while another retailer of what the board says is a fake and expired corned beef has been arrested. Mr. Essuman told Asempa News that Unilever had several of its products faked by fraudsters who sell at cheaper prices. “Ghanaians tend to be carried away by quality brands being sold cheaper than the original, but that can be dangerous,” he said. Mr. Essuman noted that over the past four years, Unilever had grave challenges trying to clamp down fraudsters who sold fake versions of their products, however the problem has largely been reduced since the company constituted a task force comprising its staff, the police and FDB. Story: Kwaku Antwi-Otoo and Afia Amankwah Tamakloe/Asempa FM/Ghana