Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has strongly criticised Lamens, the company at the centre of the alleged expired rice said to have been distributed to senior high schools. Ablakwa described the rebagging of the expired rice as criminal conduct.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr Ablakwa accused the company of violating Ghana’s Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) by rebagging unwholesome rice without proper labelling or adherence to food safety standards.

“This is a company that was cited in the 2021 Auditor General’s report, and now they are engaging in the criminal act of rebagging expired rice,” he said. He further revealed that Lamens has already admitted to the offence and paid fines imposed by regulatory authorities.

The scandal, which has sparked public outrage, allegedly involved the rebagging of expired rice originally imported from India but falsely labelled as “Made in Ghana.” He alleged that the rice bags lacked essential information, including manufacturing and expiration dates, in violation of Ghanaian laws.

Read also: 22,000 bags of expired rice allegedly distributed to SHSs across Ghana – Ablakwa

Mr Ablakwa also accused the National Buffer Stock Company of complicity, claiming the agency allowed its storage facilities to be used for the illegal operation. “The buffer stock company has opened its storage facility for this criminal activity to go on,” he stated, emphasising the need for accountability within the government agency.

The Buffer Stock Company, a government entity responsible for the procurement and storage of food supplies to the schools, has faced scrutiny for its alleged role in enabling the scandal. Mr Ablakwa argued that their oversight failures not only compromised public health but also highlighted systemic lapses in food safety monitoring.

The expired rice scandal came to light recently after it emerged that the Ashanti Regional Police Command had been tipped off to the illegality. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) also came into the picture and initially recommended the destruction of the unwholesome rice.

It subsequently fined Lamens for the unauthorised rebagging of the rice, however, it later approved the distribution of the rice.

However, Ablakwa insists that the government must take stricter measures to ensure such incidents are not repeated.