The Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), George Ampofo Ayeh, has stated that any non-conforming products discovered and seized from the market are properly disposed of.

The authority, he said, followed the standard procedure for safe disposal of unwholesome products that ensured that they did not fall into the wrong hands.

He said the Eastern region had a landfill site managed by a company in partnership with other relevant environmental agencies, who oversaw the proper disposal of all waste including an excavator crashing of unsafe products, burying or burning them outright.

Mr Ayeh was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency about cartons of unwholesome products, including turkey tail, confiscated in a joint police and FDA swoop in Suhum, Nsawam and Adoagyiri, where the demand for the product was high.

The operation led to the arrest of some retailers and sellers of the meat, and cartons of turkey tail, commonly referred to as Tsofi, were confiscated.

Health experts say this particular poultry product had a high-fat content of over 15 per cent, which, if consumed in large quantities, could potentially increase the risk of developing cancers in the lungs, breast, colon, and brain.

He said in 1999, the Ministry of Trade and Industry issued a communiqué to all importers stating that poultry and its products with a total fat content exceeding 15 per cent, were prohibited from being imported into the country.

Mr Ayeh said the voluntary request for expired substandard and fake products from retailers to the FDA office for safe disposal was accepted.

He quoted the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), Section 100, Subsection (3), which states that certain criteria must be met for a food to be considered safe for consumption.

These requirements included not having any poisonous or harmful substances, being healthy and safe for people or animals to eat, not having any filthy, putrid, decomposed or diseased substances, not being tampered with, not being harmful to health and meeting the standards set.